Chuck vs A New Beginning (Revised Edition)
by Artman Casino
Summary: This is a "Revised Edition" version of Chuck vs A New Beginning. Chuck meets a special group of people accidentally in early 2007, as time goes by he runs into them again. His new friends are more than they seem, and do everything in their power to change Chuck's life for the better. One thing's for sure, not everybody will be happy with their involvement.
1. Chapter 1

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

SANTA MONICA PIER / SANTA MONICA, CA

It was another beautiful day in sunny California, many people were taking advantage of the weather by hitting the beaches up and down the coast. Chuck Bartowski and his best friend Morgan Grimes had spent most of their time at their favorite spot, PLAYLAND ARCADE. That was one of their highlights among the rest of the landmarks the Santa Monica Pier offered, Morgan was like the little brother he never had and been there for him since they were children despite Ellie's huge dislike of him. He loved his sister dearly and knows she wants the best for him, despite the constant nagging and overbearing pushiness to move on with his life. He couldn't make her understand that the black mark from the cheating scandal at Stanford limited his options because it's a major deal, he still was working on his five year plan and knows he needs to do more than choose a bigger font.

Usually he wouldn't have come here without Morgan, but he didn't want to stay at home and hear Ellie start up again with the nagging. It was always the same topics which meant she brought up about Buy More, that he's wasting his life away along with the whole dating thing again. He just simply walked out and climbed into his Nerd Herder before heading off to just get away, Morgan was stuck working the morning shift today so Buy More was out. He thought to himself that he didn't want to be anywhere near there on his day off, who in their right mind would want to be around their place of employment during your day off? Next thing he knew after just driving he pulled up to his parking area at the Santa Monica Pier, turning off the engine and sighed deeply to at least enjoy his time there would help ease the stress levels.

Chuck brought himself back to the present after thinking about the events of this morning that lead him here. His mind was so wrapped up in things that even going to PLAYLAND ARCADE wasn't helping his mood, today looked to be one of those days that the world's going to be against him. Walking along the beach line admiring the waves, among other things that definitely would've put Ellie into a match-making mood if she was here with Devon. He was heading towards the boardwalk not paying attention when a strong voice yelled out, "Dude! Heads up!"

The call definitely got Chuck's attention, a group of guys were playing beach football when the ball headed right for him. Chuck wasn't gifted with great athleticism, given his clumsy nature. However, by some miracle he was able to catch the ball from hitting him in the face! Now what happened next was something else he never expected, he was still surprised to have caught the ball that he never saw or felt the impact as he was immediately tackled to the ground by someone clearly smaller than himself and those guys.

Hailey: "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

Chuck: "Yeah, I think so. Nothing's broken or anything..."

Chuck just lost the ability to speak as he looked up to see his attacker, scratch that a very beautiful attacker with black hair and very hypnotic blue eyes that happened to be laying on top of him. She was absolutely adorable as her eyes were shining with sparkling happiness.

Hailey: "Sorry about running into you like that, thank you for the very comfortable landing. At least it doesn't hurt as bad when you have someone to catch you."

Hollywood: "It's also easier on your six after landing on the carrier deck right Deuce?"

Hailey: "Definitely will agree with you on that Uncle Kyle."

Chuck looked up from his position to see six imposing figures of muscled men, thinking to himself the beautiful girl that's currently on top of him is one of these men's girlfriend. His mind quickly began thinking on how to untangle himself from the beauty and save himself from a potential beating being administered to him, at this moment he noticed the smirks on their faces and the playful mischief in the girl's eyes gave the impression that she wasn't in any hurry to leave her new position on top of Chuck. This was indeed a mystery to him.

Gambino: "You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say things are beginning to get completely uncomfortable on this poor guy's end."

Hailey: "But it's completely comfortable on my end, nice and soft like a cuddly teddy bear. Can I keep him just a little bit longer?"

Chuck was surprised right out of his Chuck Taylor's shoes with that comment from this girl, he learned was named Hailey. The remark brought a chuckle from the group when one of them decided to be the voice of reason.

Artman: "We're on a very public beach area right now Hailey, lifeguards are starting to head this way and you're attracting a crowd of curious people plus we're circled around you two like a pack of vultures."

Hailey: "Yeah that's the best description of you guys, vultures or wolves. Stalking their prey before you attack."

Maverick: "Hey don't you mean like a pack of cats? We lay in waiting for that moment then bam! We pounce on you with our quickness."

Hailey: "Cats are cute and cuddly, if you guys were any type of cats I'd have to say your the laughing hyenas or cheetahs that's always on the run."

Khaos: "Ouch! That's a blue-on-blue if I ever saw one, sounds like something your Mom would say on that."

Hailey: "Considering who my parents are, would you expect anything less?"

Maverick: "Definitely not, on your feet little lady."

Hailey looked back down to Chuck still laying on his back, with a pout coming across her lips she sighed.

Hailey: "But I'm having such a fun time here, you guys are such killjoys!"

Hailey slowly backed off of Chuck as the group extended hands to help both of them up to their feet, he was looking around at the size of these guys and gulped. Devon's physique was definitely well built, but these men definitely made Devon look not so awesome. All of them were around him in height, but they were built like huge tanks. He was brought out of his observations by a small smack to his chest, looking down to see the concern on Hailey's face before looking around to see everyone else had went back to what they were doing with the exception of the seven of them.

Hailey: "You sure you're okay? You looked like you zoned out or something."

Chuck: "Uh yeah, I'm sorry about that. Your friends here kinda have me intimidated, when I'm surrounded by these type of odds it usually ends up in a beatdown for me and my best friend. Been like that for most of our lives."

Hailey: "Yeah these guys are intimidating, but you can't ask for a better group of people to be friends with. Once you're friends with them, they watch out for you. I'm Hailey by the way."

Chuck: "Nice to meet you Hailey, I'm Chuck."

Hailey: "Very pleased to meet you Chuck, and thank you for allowing me to use you for a pillow against the beach sand."

Hailey stands on her toes and gives him a soft thank you kiss to the cheek making him blush while the guys chuckle at his expression, he notices the smile on Hailey's face that's making his legs turn into jello. Chuck returns with one of his own before the spell is broken.

Gambino: "Well if you two lovebirds want to chat, we'll just get back over here to the game that we stopped to render assistance."

Hailey: "Now that's a wonderful idea, come on Chuck!"

Hailey grabbed Chuck's hand and pulled him along towards the Pier with a bewildered look on his face, the rest of the group looked at the scene and laughed before heading back towards the the attractions. Chuck wasn't sure if his beautiful companion was aware that since she pulled him along from where they were on the beach that she was still holding his hand, whether or not she was caught up in the moment or just didn't mind was of no consequence to him. This was the first time since Jill that he actually didn't mind any PDA, evident by the contact of holding hands with a beautiful woman. After grabbing a couple drinks from Pier Burger, which Chuck paid for before Hailey reclaimed his hand. They walked along the deck of the pier before sitting on a bench to enjoy the views and company.

Hailey: "So Chuck, tell me a little bit about yourself. Are you from around here or just taking a visit to this area?"

Chuck: "I share an apartment in Echo Park with my sister Ellie and her boyfriend Captain Awesome."

Hailey: "You said his name was Captain Awesome? Is he in the military or something?"

Chuck: "Not really, Devon Woodcombe is his name. I call him Captain Awesome because everything he does basically is awesome. Skydiving, rock climbing, white water rafting, even flossing. Him and my sister are both doctors at Westside Medical Center as part of their residental from graduating at UCLA."

Hailey: "That's definitely a great career field, everyone knows that doctors will always be needed in this world. What about you Chuck?"

Chuck: "Well not much about me, I'm the Nerd Herd Supervisor at the Burbank Buy More. I know it's not a steady living, but it pays the bills somewhat. So tell me Hailey what do you do?"

Hailey: "Well my career can be very intimidating to potential suitors, especially if they know they're going through a gauntlet just for a chance to take me out on a date."

Chuck: "Is it really that bad?"

Hailey: "You seen those six guys that I was with earlier?"

Chuck: "You mean the mountain men of muscle? Yeah they're really intimidating."

Hailey: "Those guys are basically my uncles, just multiply that seven times. My sister and me had a very rough social life because of them. Mom and Dad weren't helpful at all, considering he's very protective and she let them have their own fun."

Chuck: "You have over forty uncles?"

Hailey: "Not biologically silly, they've been friends with my family for half of my life. Great judges of character though, which helped keep us straight as an arrow. To answer your question about my career, I'm a Naval Aviator assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-218 known as the Raptors that's stationed at Oceana in Virginia Beach. The last three generations on Dad's side of the family have been fighter pilots, which makes me 4th Generation in my family. So you can say flying's definitely in the bloodlines."

Chuck: "Beautiful and smart, a very lethal combination. I'm guessing you serve on a carrier?"

Hailey: "The Patrick Henry, which is what my parents flew off of back when the F-14 Tomcats were used back in the 80's and 90's. Mom went into the reserves after I was born while Dad stayed active, he suffered a crash that left him unable to fly for a couple of years. He used the time to study law and graduated from Georgetown, he still flies when time permits him to when he's not tied up with investigations and such. What's your plans for the remainder of this weekend?"

Chuck: "Unfortunately, today's my only day off before I venture back to work tomorrow morning. No rest for the wicked I guess."

Hailey: "Aw what a shame, I was hoping that we could get to know each other some more."

Chuck: "I'm terribly sorry, I really would've like to take you up on the offer."

Hailey: "You're a real sweet guy Chuck, maybe we should do this another time if you like."

Chuck: "That sounds fantastic, are you going to be around L.A. for a while or will you be going elsewhere?"

Hailey: "I'm going to be in San Diego for a couple of days, my family lives there so it'll be good to see them before we head back to Oceana. We decided to take advantage of the weekend before heading back."

The vibrating cell phone caused them to stop talking, Hailey looked down to see a text message from the guys saying they were ready to leave.

Hailey: "Looks like the guys are finished with their game and ready to leave. Too bad, I really wanted to stay and talk some more."

Chuck: "Yeah, I was really enjoying our time so far. Here let me give you my card so you can have my phone and email to help stay in touch."

Chuck handed her one of his business cards which she gladly accepted before they got to their feet to meet the guys, after they shook hands and said their goodbyes did Hailey turn around and gave Chuck a big hug followed with a quick kiss to his cheek leaving him stunned. Once he regained his senses, Chuck looked out across the ocean and set out to his spot to think about this latest development.

Meanwhile out in the parking lot where Hailey and the guys had packed up their vehicles, Hailey walked over to Artman and handed him a $20 bill that kind of raised the eyebrows of some of the crew. They both laughed and decided to let them in on the joke.

Hailey: "I saw Chuck a mile away and with the sad look upon his face and thought he could use a friend. So I thought if Art could get the ball near him enough on a pass play to me that I could take advantage of, kinda like an ice breaker. I would give him twenty bucks if he could make it look like an accident from a bad throw."

Gambino: "You should've just gave him the twenty from the start, he placed that ball perfectly to where Chuck would have enough time to react after the warning call. Impeccable timing as usual, could've made millions of dollars and be a franchise quarterback for anybody in the NFL."

Hailey: "Why didn't he?"

Artman: "Your father basically recruited me when I was in tenth grade, we talked and I wanted to serve my country. I've always been very patriotic when it comes to our country, and I've always wanted to be around F-14 Tomcats. What better place to be than in the Navy."

Gambino: "We could've played in the NFL at different positions, but chose to serve our country just like your family. Sure we could've played for a decade and be set for life, but sometimes there's much bigger rewards for what we do instead of what could've been."

Hailey: "Don't you guys ever wish you could go back and do things differently?"

Artman: "Not really, besides we only attend their training camps just to help out certain teams with camp bodies and get a little extra practice to help. Making other players at our positions work that much harder to become better, of course the extra paycheck for a summer workout is a great bonus towards vacation days."

Gambino: "On that note, let's get on the road. Nice little drive back to the castle where you know we're expected."

Everyone agreed before starting up their vehicles and began pulling out of the parking lot, Hailey looked back over to the beach for one last glimpse and barely saw Chuck sitting on his spot deep in thought. She knew he was different from most guys and began to formulate a plan of her own to help this guy who's been down on his luck for the last five years, what made her smile even more was she had the right connections to help push things right along.


	2. Chapter 2

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 2: SURPRISE VISIT

BURBANK BUY MORE / BURBANK, CA

Chuck Bartowski found himself in his usual place, sitting in his chair behind the Nerd Herd kiosk entering the latest invoices into the computer for the day. It was normal for the beginning of the day to be like this, despite having Morgan standing around talking non-stop about his latest adventure last night playing Call Of Duty 3. He enjoyed spending time with his best friend, but there's times where it can be too much. Such as the case right now when you're supposed to be working, he knew all too well about Morgan's reputation with his "mad avoidance of work skills". Chuck also figured out after a couple of years at Buy More that no matter how much Big Mike threatens to fire people, it would do no good at all. True he made friends with all of his co-workers, but the store itself was a disaster from top to bottom.

Chuck immediately spotted a certain someone strolling through the Buy More entrance heading straight towards him with a megawatt smile on her face, to say his day just got brighter would be an understatement. The mystery person came up to the kiosk as both Chuck and Morgan was tracking the arrival of this beautiful woman, she walked up to Chuck before grabbing his tie to pull him down to her level before giving him a very deeply passionate kiss on his lips right in front of the entire Buy More staff! His brain seemed to shut off as he apparently just died and went to heaven. Suddenly, the ringing of the bell on the desk broke Chuck out of his trance and back to the present. He quickly looked around to see nothing had changed and there was no beautiful mystery woman here in front of him. He couldn't believe it, it was all just a damn dream!

Morgan: "Dude! Are you okay? I've been calling your name for the last few minutes, you zoned out big time. What's going on with you today? Something obviously happened yesterday because you were fine just the other day, tell Dr. Morgan what's bothering you."

Chuck: "Well I was at the pier yesterday for a quiet day, next thing I know everything became a blur when I was accidentally tackled to the ground by a girl."

Laughs were heard as Chuck looked around seeing Lester, Jeff, and Anna arrived on the scene.

Lester: "Let me get this straight Chuck, you actually got tackled to the ground by a girl?"

Chuck: "I know it sounds really crazy, she must've been playing some beach football with some friends because I clearly heard someone yell for me to look out when I saw a football heading straight for my head."

Anna: "So what happened next Chuckles?"

Chuck: "I actually had enough time to react and surprisingly caught the ball, moments later I get the breath knocked out of me by this beautiful girl. She basically used me as a pillow when we hit the sand."

Jeff: "Sounds too good to be true, or maybe the sun was playing tricks on you like a mirage."

Chuck: "Trust me Jeff, I was definitely aware of what was going on."

Lester: "How could we be sure that was true?"

Chuck: "Probably because not long after that, I found myself looking up to see six huge guys had came over to check on us. They definitely weren't lifeguards."

Morgan: "None of them were offended one of their girlfriends was still laying on you like a pillow?"

Chuck: "That was my first thought when they came over. She told them she was fine with our current position, something like it's completely comfortable on her end."

Anna: "And you're still alive with no signs of getting a beatdown to show for it? Very impressive of you Chuckles."

Hailey: "Of course he's still alive, they wouldn't want to face my wrath or even my father's if they came across as bullies. It's against their nature and their conduct would've been deemed unprofessional, very punishable by their code."

Everyone turned to look at the newest arrival in their discussion. Hailey was standing there wearing a black tank top with her Raptors squadron logo on it and blue jean shorts to show off her beautifully toned legs, she chuckled seeing the looks on the faces of the other Nerd Herders as Chuck came around from behind the kiosk to give her a hug.

Chuck: "Hailey, it's so great to see you! What brings you to my humble abode here?"

Hailey enjoyed the warm embrace from Chuck, she could definitely get used to this if she had her way. Just to make sure to give his friends something to talk about, she returned the hug while wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and gave him a quick kiss to his cheek that definitely raised the eyes of everyone in the area. She felt Chuck stiffen up a little as she looked up to see the stunned look on his face before playfully poking him to get his attention, Chuck focused back on her as he looked into those shiny blue eyes he couldn't get enough of. Playing with the bottom of his tie, she couldn't help but smile at his carefree nature.

Hailey: "Well there's a couple of reasons I came by here today, I realized that I didn't leave you my number even though you gave me your card for contact. After getting home to relax, it just hit me that I didn't purchase a couple of games I wanted to get. I wasn't able to get them when they were first released because of my job. This way I can complete my two objectives in one mission by coming here today."

Chuck: "You drove all the way up here from San Diego?"

Hailey: "After yesterday I needed to make a visit. Not only because we're leaving in the morning, I also think you're so worth it."

Chuck: "Wow. Didn't think I rated that high."

Hailey: "Well you have so far with me, and don't you forget it Buster!"

Chuck: "Duly noted milady. On that note, you said something about games? I didn't know you were into gaming, which games are you looking for?"

Hailey: "Ace Combat Zero for the Playstation 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas for the Xbox360."

Morgan: "You got a PS2 and a 360? How come you didn't just get the PS3, you could get the newest games plus it's got a Blu-Ray DVD player."

Hailey: "Hate to break it to you, Sony's had more issues with the PS3 console than the previous systems and compare it to Microsoft's Xbox360 and Xbox systems really have become more popular. More options to do things with from the dashboard and the products plus the avatars are cool, everyone I know has the 360 which makes online gaming more fun."

Chuck: "If you didn't get those games, you missed out on Call Of Duty 3. That's a good game to add to your library if I must say."

Hailey: "Sorry to break it to you sweetie, but COD isn't as great as Rainbow Six."

The others looked at Hailey with horrified expressions as she more or less dissed their most cherished game of the year, she had to admit it was funny seeing their faces.

Morgan: "How can you say such a thing? Don't you know that COD sold two million copies and it's one of the best games ever!"

Hailey: "Sorry friend, but COD's living only on it's name from the previous titles and based around WWII campaigns. Also it's sold in Japan and Austrailia among the PAL region, Plus it's made available on more systems thus the reason why so many copies were sold. Rainbow Six Vegas deals with special forces operations and modern warfare style. It's one of the highest scoring games that's been reviewed and actually became the first ever Xbox title game to join the Major League Gaming circuit, not to mention it's won numerous gaming awards including 'Best First Person Shooter' and 'Best Online Game'. Let's just say for the sake that we each have our preferences, and call it a draw."

Chuck could see that Morgan wasn't going to let it go by his wide-eyed expression, he decided to save himself and Hailey from any embarassment from the actions of a stubborn rant from Morgan.

Chuck: "You know what, let's go find your games and remedy the phone issues we're having."

Chuck quickly lead Hailey away as she laughed when he took her hand in his to the shock of the other Nerd Herders, apparently this new girl has started opening Chuck up more than they've seen since he started working at Buy More. Big Mike was heading past the desk when he noticed the group standing around stunned, he decided to get their attention.

Mike: "Alright people what's the meaning of this standing around wasting time doing nothing when there's customers that need tending to!"

Anna: "I think these three stooges here just saw the world coming to an end, Chucky met a girl yesterday and she came up here from San Diego for a couple games among seeing him."

Mike: "Bartowski impressed a girl enough to drive 125 miles to see him? This I have to see."

Anna pointed their boss in the general direction they went as Hailey was chatting happily with Chuck and his responding to her definitely was unusual because he's usually dense and clueless when it comes to women from previous observations, Big Mike might have to agree with Anna's assessment that maybe the world is ending. Meanwhile, Chuck and Hailey had found the games she was looking for as they were returning.

Mike: "Bartowksi! What are you doing if I may ask?"

Chuck: "Hey Big Mike, I was just helping this customer here with a couple of purchases."

Mike: "Are you sure that's all you were doing Bartowski? You wasn't harassing her or trying to clammer for a date like these idiots have done before were you?"

Hailey: "That's actually what I wanted to talk with Chuck about, thanks for reminding me sir."

That definitely got everyone's attention, Chuck looked quickly down into Hailey's sparkling eyes of mischief and knew that things were going to get interesting.

Mike: "Well don't keep us in suspense, ask away!"

Hailey: "I was gonna ask him if he wouldn't mind spending the weekend after Labor Day with me in Virginia Beach. I wanted him to meet some of my friends and show him around the area. Don't forget the beaches, so pack your swimsuit."

Chuck: "You want to show me around Virginia Beach and where you work?"

Hailey: "That's one of the things you could see. You also would be able to catch the Oceana Air Show that features the Blue Angels, which you definitely can't beat that. I can also take you to Norfolk where our ship is docked."

Lester: "Ship? What kind of ship you talking about?"

Hailey: "It's an aircraft carrier for the Navy, it's currently docked at Norfolk Naval Station in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area."

Mike: "You're in the Navy young lady?"

Hailey: "Yes sir, I'm a 4th generation Naval Aviator."

Morgan: "You fly for the Navy, does that mean you been to 'Top Gun'?"

Hailey: "Actually I haven't, it was merged with a couple of units and relocated to Nevada. My Dad actually went there when it was in Miramir, he even took Tom Cruise up in a F-14 Tomcat."

Anna: "That's so cool, maybe Chucky here could go for a ride."

Hailey: "We do have an old WWII Stearman that Dad takes up every weekend. I can certainly take him up in that, it's a great view and nothing like it."

Mike: "Okay young lady, seeing that you have such plans for our boy here for that weekend. Chuck, consider yourself off for the first two weeks of September. I hope you can handle working the next 2 weeks straight to make up for it. Now we need to break up this party, there's work to be done! Bartowski, make sure this young lady has everything she needs and take care of business before she heads back to San Diego."

Chuck: "Not a problem Big Mike."

Chuck turns to look at Hailey.

Chuck: "Looks like I better get back to work."

Big Mike started to walk away when he overheard Chuck's comment to Hailey, he figured his dense Nerd Herd Supervisor needed a little pushing to get things going in the right direction.

Mike: "She drove up here from San Diego just for you Bartowski! Take the rest of the day off for crying out loud! This offer don't come around much too often so take advantage of it."

Hailey: "Thank you very much Mr. Tucker, in that case let me go back and get 2 more copies of Rainbow Six Vegas. This way both Chuck and Morgan can see what the difference is."

Morgan: "No way! You will never convert me from COD!"

Hailey: "Suit yourself friend, well shall we go Chuck?"

Chuck: "After you milady."

Chuck extended his arm as Hailey playfully looped her arm through it heading towards the exit of Buy More. Chuck suddenly stopped to whisper something to her, she nodded in agreement before he turned around to address Morgan.

Chuck: "Morgan, do me a favor and don't say anything to Ellie about any of this yet okay?"

Morgan: "Why not Chuck?"

Chuck: "You forget how pushy Ellie can be, especially when she likes to interrogate me about my love life. Which is why I'm asking you again, under any circumstances please don't tell Ellie."

Morgan: "Sure dude, you two go have fun."

Hailey and Chuck waved good bye before they exited the Buy More as Big Mike turned back to the rest of his employees.

Mike: "Well now that the show's over, get back to work people!"


	3. Chapter 3

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 3: RETURN OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

SANTA MONICA BEACH / SANTA MONICA, CA

Chuck Bartowski was sitting on the beach watching the waves crashing into the shore while he was deep in thought at his special place, he had been coming here for as long as he could remember whenever he had something on his mind that he couldn't discuss with Ellie or Devon or Morgan for that matter. With the exception of the accidental meeting with Hailey back in the spring and the two weeks he spent in Virginia with her, things were looking up for him. He knew she was returning from deployment in time for Labor Day Weekend. When he turned in his vacation request for the time off to corporate, knowing sometimes things get lost. He went to Big Mike and explained the reason for it, that shock almost caused the big guy to choke on a doughtnut. He even left a note for Ellie and Devon the day he left while they're at work, to avoid any of Ellie's nagging questions. He surprised her when they arrived back at Oceana, since her family had been unable to make it out there. They started dating since they got along so well, enjoying their two weeks together. All of that came crashing down the night of his 26th birthday, when his nemesis had sent him the government's secret database known as "The Intersect". That act succeeded in turning Chuck's peaceful life, into one full of being paranoid and in constant danger. For the past month, he'd been the government's most valuable asset. His privacy was completely gone, every little move by him was monitored. What terrified him the most was the apartment he shared with Ellie and Devon, had been filled with bugs courtesy of Casey.

His mind went back to the team's latest mission that he went on with Sarah, Casey, and Carina. Despite the usual issues of finding themselves out-numbered and constantly in a bind, not to mention the drama that always seemed to happen when Carina is around Sarah and Casey after observing their interactions. The mission was a success in the eyes of the government since the diamond was safely in the hands of Beckman and Graham via FedEx delivery. Looking back on it after some time to really analyze things, he wasn't sure it was a success due to everything that transpired from everyone else.

First, he's afraid of Carina due to her reputation from what Sarah and Casey told him from their previous experiences working with the red-headed agent. However, she makes the mission fun in a certain way and tried to loosen things up for him so he would feel more at ease to help. It didn't help that Sarah kept being very territorial and over-protective, if not possessive whenever Carina was around him. Sarah's constant telling him that "Carina could not be trusted" was sounding much like a broken record. He chuckled thinking about that one. It's more like Sarah is the untrustworthy one, not Carina.

He remembered Sarah sitting on the sand next to him in this very spot on what was supposed to be their first date.

Sarah: "Chuck, I know you're scared. Bryce sent you vital knowledge and now we need to protect you. I know this is hard for you to understand, but I need you to do one favor for me. I need you to trust me."

Looking back on that moment, he remembers the small conversation he was able to have with Carina without any interference.

Chuck: "Carina, what do you know about Bryce Larkin? Who was he really to Sarah?"

Carina: "Chuckles, there's one axiom that we live by. It's the forbidden form of attachment because spies do not fall in love ever. They say love can be used as leverage against you. Bryce was more than her tension reliever, he was her boyfriend. Shoot they were the perfect spy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They lived their cover life not just on missions, but off it as well together."

Chuck cornered Sarah one night after that conversation, asking her point blank for the truth.

Chuck: "Sarah, tell me this isn't true. Tell me that my arch nemesis Bryce Larkin isn't your boyfriend?"

She looks up into his worried face and looks deeply into his eyes calmly lies to him.

Sarah: "It's complicated, Chuck"

He knew right then and there the truth, and replied back to her in a broken tone.

Chuck: "I thought you were supposed to be good at lying."

Chuck turned around and walked off leaving her standing there in shock.

Flashing back to the present, Chuck's thoughts were interrupted when his phone started ringing. He looked down at the display to see Sarah's calling. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, especially after she clearly demonstrated that trust is only a one-way street. After shaking himself out of his musing, he starts to walk towards his Nerd Herder. He never noticed the two well built men walking in his direction talking amongst themselves.

Gambino: "I still don't understand why Jackson practically ordered us out here. You don't think he's finally lost his marbles, and it's his way of giving us a paid vacation?"

Artman: "A paid vacation? Please bro, that man can take a vacation anytime he pleases. Let's consider the fact he's put up with David for nearly thirty years."

Gambino: "You think after marrying Liz and having the girls, that David would've calmed down. Instead, he turned into over-protective grizzly bear once they turned 16."

Artman: "You couldn't fault him for that. Liz even laughed about our intervention many times, especially when we scared off any potential boyfriends."

Gambino: "Jen and Hailey were mad at us, claiming all of their over-protective uncles had instigated the whole thing."

Artman: Yeah. Combine all of David's shenigans with everything our motley crew's done together, it's a miracle Jackson hasn't gone psychotic."

Gambino: "That's true enough. Some of the gang's thrilled to be here, gives them time to see family and friends. You know David's folks will make it an order for everyone to make an appearance, once we get settled in of course."

Artman: "Ah yeah, and you know what that means? Extra time on the beach working off those calories while enjoying the scenery."

Upon hearing the voices, Chuck looked up at the last second unable to avoid the two men. The collision knocked him flat on his back, he looked up into the faces of the two muscular individuals. Both men noticed the lanky nerd on the ground. Chuck remembered all too well what happened in the past when he was in the same situation, accidentally walking into somebody and the beating he would suffer afterwards. He extended his arms out in a pleading gesture while thinking to himself, "These guys are gonna kill me, damn my clumsiness!"

The two men looked down at Chuck before looking back at one another, a quick nod of the head before they pulled Chuck up to his feet. Chuck's eyes go wide in fright for the impending beating he knew was coming, what happens next shocks Chuck.

Gambino: "Sorry man, you okay?"

Chuck: "Yeah. I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

Artman: "People usually don't when something's on their mind, or their nose in the phone. Although, we're just as guilty for not seeing you either."

Gambino: "I'm really sorry if that tumble knocked you for a loop. You didn't hurt your back, or smack the back of your head on the ground did you?"

Chuck: "No, no, no. I'm okay. Think nothing of it really, I insist."

Trying not to panic, Chuck tried to backpedal away. However, the other guy placed a hand on his shoulder that prevents any movement.

Artman: "Dude! You really need to loosen up and relax, you'll give yourself a panic attack."

The two men exchange glances with a grin on their faces. This was just like the same scenario earlier in the year, only Hailey's not there to use him as a bed to lay on. They could tell something was off with Chuck when he didn't recognize them, granted that he only met them a couple of times. They took the "getting-to-know" approach before they reveal the truth.

Gambino: "Damn it man, first night into town and we're already knocking people over."

Suddenly, Chuck's phone started ringing again. Looking at the display, Sarah's calling again. He knew if he ignored her again that she'd keep calling or worse, track him down and berate him for being alone. Considering that both Beckman and Graham have countless times shown they only care about their precious Intersect, and not the man that houses it. Accompanied with what's been transpiring between his and Sarah's "cover relationship" along with enduring the non-stop abuse from Casey. Ever since he had this intrusion into his life, the curse that kept on giving had been more then he could take. He knew that he'd been reduced to a shell of a man, from the events at Stanford and now this. He was actually gaining back his confidence, and looked more into improving himself ever since Hailey came into his life. His future that's been bleak for years, started to have a light at the end of the tunnel. He wanted to become better than what he was, Hailey had been the one to give him that hope. He knew she couldn't make it out for his birthday due to her shore duty, she did send him her best wishes by email and text with promises to make it up to him next time they can get together. All of that was destroyed by answering that damned email from Bryce! He'd finally had enough, and ultimately decided that he's through being the puppet. Starting by once again sending her call to ignore, knowing that's going to lead to a confrontation very soon.

Gambino: "Ignoring a call from the lady? That sounds like trouble in paradise."

Chuck: "Sort of, the whole relationship's just complicated."

Artman: "Aren't all relationships with women complicated? Oh sorry, it appears we forgot our manners this entire time. My name's Artman, and this is Gambino."

Chuck: "My friends call me Chuck, I'm guessing those aren't your real names."

Artman: "We go by our call-signs more than anything really, makes it easier for our bosses to keep track of us."

Gambino: "That way they can keep a tally, on how many times we ruffle their feathers. So what do you do Chuck?"

Chuck: "Oh here's my card. It's a little short and sweet of an explanation."

Artman: "Chuck Bartowski, Nerd Herd Supervisor at the Burbank Buy More. So you're an electronics and computer guy."

Chuck: "You could say that, computers are my thing. I love working on them and seeing the satisfaction the customer's faces when their computers are repaired like it's brand new."

Gambino: "Chuck, you're a really smart guy that shouldn't waste his life away working at an electronics store for $12 an hour."

Chuck: "Yeah I know, there's a story behind that though."

Artman and Gambino shared a knowing look, it's time to have some fun.

Gambino: "It seems like every time we meet you Chuck, you're always flat on your back."

Chuck: "What do you mean by that? Have we met before?"

Artman: "Right at this spot nearly eight months ago, you caught a football heading straight for your head. Of course, it was after you shocked yourself by catching the ball that we remember."

Gambino: "Yeah, that was hilarious when Hailey plowed him over like a linebacker."

Artman: "Of course, we remember she used him as a bed afterwards. She really didn't want to get off of him, saying that she wanted to keep him. Until we had to be the voice of reason. She looked adorable with that pouty lip going on."

Chuck went into shock, reeling from the information he just been told. These two guys were at the beach the day he met Hailey! They're part of the group that gave her a hard time, making jokes about it while she was on top of his laid out body. If they were here, could she be too?

Chuck: "I'm surprised to see you both. I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now, especially after what happened a month ago."

Artman: "What makes you think that Chuck?"

Chuck: "Hailey and I were pretty much dating since that day, despite her overseas deployment. I came out to surprise her when she returned to Oceana and we'd literally spent two weeks together in Virginia Beach, we talked about making plans for the future and everything. It's been a month since I last communicated with her, something I've regretted doing. I figured that I'd get a beating once you knew who I was, because I disappeared and broke her heart."

Artman: "We knew something's wrong when Hailey mentioned this great guy she loves hasn't contacted her for a month, after spending so much time with him just couple of weeks before communication was lost."

Chuck looked down at his feet and sand with despair in his eyes, he knew these guys were very protective of Hailey. She mentioned it before, how hard dating was with these guys and their friends around. Gambino put a hand on his shoulder.

Gambino: "Chuck, you look like you could use some friends to help unburden yourself. We can tell that something's bothering you, it's not just because of our connections with Hailey. We're friends here man, besides Hailey would never forgive us if we did do something. She still cares for you Chuck, you have to talk to her and make things right again. She'd understand it, but you have to explain it to us first so we can try to understand and help you."

Chuck: "Something happened to me a month ago, on my 26th birthday actually."

Artman: "Does this have to do with why you stopped communicating with Hailey?"

Chuck glumly nodded his head and the sad look was back on his face, he remembered that night on the beach after the first encounter with Casey and Sarah. The talk with Sarah made him realize that not only would his friends and family would be in danger, he'd be putting Hailey at risk too. Chuck knew that he couldn't risk her life, anymore than she already does in her career. He had to make the ultimate sacrifice, his happiness and the future they just started planning weeks ago to keep her safe from whatever danger could come from this.

Before Chuck could answer, two phones begin to ring. Artman frowned at the display showing it to Gambino, nodding in silent communication. Chuck sees Sarah's calling one more time. His mood was turning sour from the constant calling, he ignored the call again as Artman returned with a triumphant grin on his face. Gambino knew something good's cooking on their plate, the three men walk towards the parking lot where their cars are parked.

Gambino: "Looks like you're night is about to get better Chuck, you're coming with us."

Chuck: "We're not really dressed for a night out, and I'm the on-call Nerd Herder."

Artman: "Don't worry about the attire Chuck, besides this trip has two phases. First, we're meeting at a friend's place in Mission Beach. He believes it'd be nice to have a beach party to welcome us, and a few other friends out here since it's been a while."

Chuck: "Okay that sounds like fun, but what about the second part?"

Artman: "You're being tasked with handling a computer issue at one of the most luxurious resort chains in the world, New Millennium Paradise Resorts. I mentioned to him that you have the qualifications to handle the issue, and we know you. He's contacting Buy More right now."

Chuck felt his phone ring and noticed the text alert for a Nerd Herd Emergency with the attachment of the address, he closed it and looked at the two men.

Chuck: "It certainly looks like you both talked me into it."

Gambino: "Moneybags wants that work done sooner than we expected? It's a shame that both Soprano and Storm are stuck back east upgrading software for our new batches of toys."

Artman: "There's also an added bonus for you Chuck, you're gonna see Hailey again."

Chuck suddenly stopped all movement upon hearing those words, his two friends had chuckled to themselves at seeing the reaction from Chuck before patting him on the back.

Gambino: "Looks like you can tell us your whole story when we get to Mission Beach."

Chuck: "Would I be able to tell you the story, before or after Hailey kills me?"

Artman: "She won't kill you Chuck, we won't let her. Besides it's in a public place and it's on the beach, too many witnesses for her to inflict bodily harm."

Gambino: "Don't worry Chuck. You're in good hands, and I don't mean with Allstate."

Chuck: "I swear you guys are hysterical, this could be what the doctor ordered."

Artman: "No doubt about it, we do have to warn you though. Our friends tend to get a little carried away with their sense of humor and jokes."

Chuck: "How carried away?"

Gambino: "Hmmm good question, I guess in a very dark and sarcastic manner. It could be even considered crude in some places. Of course, it just wouldn't be like them if they behaved like choir boys all the time."

Artman: "Well let's light this candle, Gambino's gonna ride with you. He knows where we're going, this way you won't get lost."

Chuck: "I guess that's a good enough reason, how far is it?"

Gambino: "From here it's two and a half hours, from Burbank would've been at least four. Given the traffic on the 5 and travel distance. Can I give you a quick word of advice Chuck?"

Chuck: "What's that?"

Gambino: "Prepare yourself for a long night of fun. That's if, you're able make it through the night after seeing Hailey again."

Chuck noticed the wicked grin on Gambino's face before getting into the Herder, taking a deep breath he fastened his seatbelt making sure he's very secure. He muttered to himself, "Oh boy."


	4. Chapter 4

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 4: MEETING IN PARADISE

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

After pulling into the parking lot of Catamaran Resort, one of the numerous properties in the New Millennium Paradise chain. Chuck's mood seemed to improve a great deal from where is was a couple hours ago. Looking up at the beautiful resort that stood in front of him and taking a glance around to see Mission Bay itself, making the resort chain truely living up to the word paradise. Taking a deep breath inhaling the ocean air trying to soothe his nerves. Seeing Hailey again made him all the more nervous, he wasn't sure how she would react to seeing him again without being in contact for over a month after their relationship was heading in the right direction. He was looking forward to meeting everyone that he didn't get to before when he visited Hailey before his birthday. This unexpected trip could be a very good thing for him, without the constant worrying about having everything being monitored. Despite the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Casey and Sarah will be tearing him a new one once they find out everything, he was willing to bet Graham and Beckman would order him to be placed in the bunker. He wasn't going to let that bring him down and pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

Artman: "So what do you think of this place, Chuck?"

Chuck: "It's very nice. I didn't expect this kind of place. You say this belongs to a friend?"

Gambino: "Yeah, a very special friend owns this resort, plus three others in the whole area. It makes it great for a nice vacation spot when we want some time away from the east coast."

The three of them head over to the private beach area where a crowd of people are having a fun time. They arrive at a bar where the female bartender hands them each a bottle of beer then smiles at Chuck before going back to serving others. The three of them take their bottles before walking over to where more people are gathered to introduce Chuck.

Casino: "Well look what the cat dragged in, what's going on guys?"

Gambino: "Greetings to you also Moneybags. Chuck Bartowski, please meet the owner of this fine paradise, A.J. Casino."

Chuck: "Nice to meet you sir, thanks for allowing me to join you guys."

Casino: "Think nothing of it my boy. If you came here with these two clowns, you can't be that bad of a guy."

Artman: "Funny as always Casino. You'll be pleased to know he's the one I told you about."

Casino: "Excellent news on both accounts. Chuck my boy, please accompany me to the communications room. I think you'll be able to figure out what needs to be done, every resort in this area will need the same work. So whatever you find here will help get everything ready for the others, right now the security network and reservation filing systems are both running effectively. However, they're not running as smoothly as they were at this time last year."

Chuck: "I will certainly try my best to solve your problems Mr. Casino."

They walked the path into the lobby before heading towards the communication room. Casino swiped the card to unlock the door, he turned to look at Chuck before stepping inside.

Casino: "Do or do not Young Bartowski, there is no try."

Chuck: "Star Wars reference, very surprising of you sir."

Casino: "Well you're just gonna see that I'm full of surprises."

Chuck's mouth dropped open after hearing another Star Wars quote, Casino just laughed and tapped Chuck on the chin.

Casino: "Close your mouth Chuck, you're gonna catch some flies like that. Plus I don't want you to fry yourself extra crispy by drooling on my servers. Right through here my boy."

Chuck assessed the equipment and sat at the terminal to carefully check out everything. He ran his usual diagnostics check of going through every program and reset the system to start operating again. Seeing where improvements could be made, he turned to address Casino.

Chuck: "I just finished up my checks and figured out what's causing your issues.

Casino: "I'm glad you're able to figure that out, how big of a problem is it?"

Chuck: "It's purely a capacity problem. Your current servers lack the capacity for all the new demands being placed on the system. It's possible that it might drop out again once the guest start using their devices. Otherwise, the system will slow down to the point of nearly crashing."

Casino: "I don't like having issues that could make my guests unhappy. Do you think you would be able to design and build a system that can handle the needed requirements?"

Chuck: "I can, but it's a massive job. The system will need a major overhaul, which means an increased amount of capacity and heavy updates to the servers to handle everything from the new demands. That includes having to re-wire the entire complex, which includes the security and reservation network systems. Your Wi-Fi network would also get upgraded to help on this, it could take me a week to have everything up to speed. With so many guests that come to your resorts, whether it's a single or a family of four. You factor in all of them using their devices like laptops and tablets among other electronics that require the use of your network, it's going to increase the wear and tear on the system."

Casino: "Let's write up the work order with all the equipment required for this monster job, I can have everything delivered here and to my other resorts. I can have Gunny can make a copy for both of us, one for my records and the other as proof you did some work for us. Now that is taken care of, we can discuss more business in the morning. Now let's head back to the others."

Making their way to his office for Chuck to write up the work order and details, Casino spotted his front desk workers.

Tyler: "Good evening Mr. Casino, everything appears to be working as expected sir. How can I assist you sir?"

Chuck appeared with the work order completed, he hands it to Casino to look it over. Looking at his worker, he hands over the order and explains what he wants done.

Casino: "When Gunny returns from his rounds, this man Chuck Bartowski's an Executive VIP Guest. That's the work order to confirm what our needs are and what's needed to fix it. I require three copies of this order made. One for the records, one for me, and one for Chuck."

Tyler: "Yes sir, I will get right on that ASAP. Will there be anything else?"

Casino: "That's all son, keep up the good work. Tell Gunny we're at Station 7, I have my cell if for some reason he needs to contact me. Have a good night."

Casino and Chuck walked back to the beach. After being served with a couple of bottles from the bar, with something on his mind Chuck turned to Casino.

Chuck: "That's kind of you Mr. Casino, but I don't have the money to afford a room here."

Casino: "Chuck just relax and enjoy yourself. If those two maniacs brought you to my resort to help you relax plus handle the computer issue, at least let me be the gracious host that I am by handling your room and board while you're here."

Chuck: "Thank you very much for your kindness, I don't know how to repay you."

Casino: "Just enjoy your time here, that's simple enough. Whatever debt you feel you owe me, don't worry about. There's going to be much for us to talk about tomorrow, especially when it comes to business and your involvement with us. No more business talk tonight, just kick back and relax. Now go have some fun Chuck, that's an order."

Chuck: "Yes sir."

Casino put his hand on Chuck's shoulder before leaving him behind as Artman and Gambino meet back up with him, bringing him to where everyone's talking with David and Elizabeth Smith. Chuck was a wreck on the inside, he knew these were Hailey's parents and from what she told him before. David was definitely someone you don't want to make an enemy, she explained that he wasn't just a combat pilot but also had trained with several special forces. He watched as Gambino and Artman had those grins on their faces as they approached.

Gambino: "Greetings oh mighty King and Queen of our illustrious clan, we've come before you bearing gifts."

David: "And what gifts does the young knights of our kingdom bring claim to bring us?"

Artman: "Your Majesty, we've returned from a journey to honor you with our presence."

Elizabeth: "That's your gift? You didn't stay away long enough, as your presence is nauseating."

Laughs were heard all in the circle while some decided to join in the fun.

Kyle: "Whoa, Liz was shack on the target on that one. Was that a Sidewinder?"

Elizabeth: "Yeah, he wouldn't be worth wasting a Phoenix on. Although, I should've just switched to guns instead. Such a waste of a missile if you ask me."

Wildfire: "Damn it man, that was a strafe across the board. Did she get the cockpit too?"

Gambino: "Ouch! Liz that hurts a lot, I thought we were friends?"

Elizabeth: "We are friends, it's even better when you're on opposite ends of the country."

Maverick: "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

Elizabeth glared at Maverick, who quickly changed tactics.

Maverick: "Whoa, I'm getting targeted. Gambino, you're on your own."

Gambino: "Didn't anybody ever tell you that you don't ever leave your wingman?"

Maverick: "Sorry bro, I'm not the one getting my six kicked by our Queen here."

Gambino: "Gee thanks a lot Pete, you're a real pal."

Maverick: "Don't mention it, cheers bro."

Maverick and Gambino clink their bottles after their comedic routine.

Elizabeth: "If the Court Jesters are done, are you going to introduce us to your friend or did you forget your manners when you joined up?"

Chuck: "The name's Chuck Bartowski ma'am, Burbank Buy More Nerd Herd Supervisor."

Elizabeth: "It's finally nice to meet someone with some manners, especially from someone who wasn't toilet-trained at gunpoint."

Artman: "Oh really? You mean that one time David had left the seat up and you fell in? You still hold that against him?"

David: "Watch it Art, you're heading for trouble with that one."

Artman: "Trouble sir? Was it along the lines of the new call-signs on both of your helmets? What was it, 'Hammer' and 'Nail'? At the very least, Boone thought it was hilarious."

Elizabeth: "Yeah he would. Wasn't the next training mission after that, you both got knocked out of the sky? It was by 'Hammer' and 'Nail' if I remember correctly."

David: "Okay let's settle it down."

Artman: "King, since we've gone from friendly to hostile. Request permission to return fire."

David: "Much as I like you guys, you're not worth me spending the night on the couch tonight. Permission denied, you're just gonna have to drop chaff and retreat."

Gambino: "Sir, we don't retreat as you know. We simply take a step back to gather ourselves and regroup, you taught us that better than anybody."

Elizabeth: "So you did learn something after all these years. Now Chuck, how did end up meeting these two menaces to society?"

Chuck: "I literally walked into them."

Chuck was about to continue when Hailey just arrived with more friends, time seem to stop as their eyes met. Everyone watched the two statues in wide-eyed amusement. Hailey was the first to break the spell, she walked right up to Chuck and snatched his hand marching him off away from the crowd towards the dock. She stopped long enough to explain her actions.

Hailey: "Mom and Dad, please excuse us. I need to have a little chat with Chuck first. There's something we have to discuss that can't wait, I promise there's nothing to worry about."

Once they began walking away, David and Elizabeth wondered why Hailey was acting out of character for her. Turning towards Artman and Gambino to ask the silent question, both just shrugged their shoulders while a smirking grin came across their faces. David knew something was up and he'd get to the bottom of this upon their return. Meanwhile, Hailey and Chuck arrived at the dock. Once there, she spun around with fire in her eyes. Chuck knew he was in trouble as he waited for the lashing.

Hailey: "You got some explaining to do Chuck! First, what are you doing here at my Uncle A.J.'s resort? Second, how did you know I was even here in the first place?"

Chuck: "I was actually brought down here by Gambino and Artman, your Uncle A.J. has a major systems issue. I was with him the last couple of hours checking for why his system was acting the way it was, now he wants me to tackle the job. I honestly didn't know you were here until they told me, I thought you were still up at Oceana."

Hailey: "Was there a reason why you decided to cut me out of your life? Chuck, I thought we had something special between us? Didn't those six months of communicating and two weeks in Virginia Beach mean as much to you as it did me?"

Chuck looked down to his feet and closed his eyes to hold back the pain, he knew this would happen if they crossed paths again. He felt fingers on his chin and looked up to see the concern on Hailey's face, what he saw clearly broke his heart. He saw the worry in her eyes, it looked as though she could read his mind. Something had happened to this man she cared about, scratch that still cares about and always will.

Hailey: "Chuck, I can see it in your eyes something traumatic happened to you after you came home. Don't shut me out, please tell me what happened. I need to know the truth."

Chuck: "As you well know, my birthday was two weeks after the time I spent with you in Virginia Beach. Ellie decided to throw a birthday party for me, problem is that everyone she invites are people she works with in hopes of me finding someone to move on with my life."

Hailey: "Well that's kind of sweet that Ellie wants you to find happiness, you could've told her about me. It might have made things a little easier for you."

Chuck: "I would've if it kept Ellie off my back, but I was also looking out for you. Ellie's like a pitbull when it comes to being over-bearing and pushy, she would question me to death about you. How long we'd been dating and how far we want the relationship to go. Things we had just started to talk about when I had to leave. She would've kept nagging me to set up a meeting, which basically's an order to invite you for dinner. Of course, I would've more than be willing to sacrifice myself to protect you from the drama that Ellie brings. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to tell her. The next 24 hours, everything had changed for me."

Hailey: "Just breathe Chuck, let it out. I'm here, please tell to me."

Chuck: "Morgan and me were in my room after the party ended, I was feeling down because one of the girls brought up Stanford and mentioned Bryce. I went into depression mode and talked about the story of Bryce and my ex-girlfriend to chase them away. He's the ex-friend that had me expelled. I got an email from Bryce that contained a link to Zork, it's a text-based game we played back in the day. After I answered this riddle, my life was changed forever."

Hailey: "Changed in what way Chuck?"

Chuck explained everything to Hailey. The events at Buy More, meeting Sarah and Casey, the rooftop confrontation, and finally the beach conversation with Sarah.

Chuck: "My life had been turned into one of living in constant fear and being paranoid all the time. No more privacy since I'm being monitored 24/7. My family and friends could be used against me because of the danger involved, I didn't want you to be caught up in something that happened because of me. I sacrificed our future and happiness to keep you safe."

Hailey wrapped Chuck up in her arms and held him close. She missed him tremendously, from the evening phone calls and texts, asking how each other's day was. He was someone she enjoyed being in his life, the distance wasn't an issue to her. She knew it hurt when he disappeared, and from what she could tell he was also affected by it. He gave her the full story and the reasons for why things ended, she's going to fight for him and their future. This just became a personal war, one she's determined to win. Not just for her, but for him also. It's time to bring out the big guns and settle things, too much was at stake.

Hailey: "Come on Chuck, we're going back to the beach. We need to tell my Dad about this situation you're involved in. However, there's something that you and me need to get straight."

Chuck: "Uh, what's that? I told you why I had to cut communication with you."

Hailey: "You made that decision on your own Chuck, without consulting me. They couldn't keep me from being with you, no matter who they think they are. Something's not right about what you said, the story needs to be told and we have the perfect audience for it."

Chuck: "Your Dad? What can he do about it?"

Hailey: "He has connections Chuck, extremely high connections. As far as those that's been handling you are concerned, they're about to find out they picked the wrong group to mess with. Now let's get to back to the others, before that you owe me numerous rounds of drinks."

Chuck: "What do you mean I owe you numerous rounds?"

Hailey: "You'll need some liquid courage to explain everything. And yes, you do owe me for cutting me out of your life. That number can be either by weeks or days, which do you prefer?"

Chuck: "I don't think I could handle the number of days tonight."

Hailey: "I never said you're paying off your debt in one night, that's just the start of it."

Hailey placed her hands on his face and gave him a deeply passionate kiss to his lips, he responded immediately and leaned his forehead against her's. She looped her arm through his on their way back to the beach, they stopped at the private bar for a couple of bottles. Chuck looked at Hailey to offer up a toast, she took the bottle and looked up at him with a smile on her face.

Hailey: "Let's toast to the return of a beautiful relationship, one that'll last for years and whatever adventures that follow afterwards."

Chuck: "I'm definitely drink to that, here's looking at you Kid."

Once they toasted and sipped their drinks, Hailey waited for Chuck to put his bottle down for a second. She punched his arm, bringing a yelp of surprise out of him. He looked over at her with questioning eyes as she laughed, that brought a smile to his face. She looped her arm around his waist and started to drag him away, he quickly grabbed his bottle before getting far. He felt her lay her head on his chest while walking, and knew she had that smile on her face he loved.

Chuck: "Are you going to tell me what that was for back there?"

Hailey: "That was for the 'Kid' remark. You're most likely quoting Casablanca when I used the 'beginning of a beautiful friendship' line, even though I put a little spin on it."

Chuck: "You're right, it's one of those moments that you're unable to resist when it's there."

Hailey: "Believe me, I completely understand. Just remember this, if you do it again the consequences will be more severe my good man."

Chuck: "Yes ma'am."

Hailey: "Good boy. If you can behave for the rest of the night, I will reward you with a treat."

She affectionately patted his head and laughed at the expression on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 5: MEETING IN PARADISE (PART 2)

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

Hailey and Chuck arrived back at the group. He saw the guys and raised his bottle up in a form of salute, they returned the gesture with grins seeing him there with Hailey. Chuck pulled over a couple more lounge chairs and made sure she was seated before he settled in his.

Hollywood: "Well it looks like the old lovebirds found one another, had a little chat and got matters settled. Did you kiss and make up?"

Hailey: "To answer your questions. Yes we found each other, had our chat to settle everything and made up. As for that last question, let me confirm it. Thanks for reminding me Hollywood."

Hailey smiled at everyone before getting out of her chair and promptly sat herself down on Chuck's lap, she gave him a huge passionate kiss on his lips before settling back into him.

Hailey: "Now all of the questions have been answered."

Chuck just shrugged his shoulders while the others just exchanged smirks. David and Elizabeth noticed the exchange and waited patiently for an explaination.

Hollywood: "Hailey never did explain to us the last time we were here, why she chased off to early that morning. Guess we know the answer now."

Hailey: "Last time we were here, I had to get a couple of games before heading back to Oceana for this past deployment. I wasn't able to get them because I was already overseas when they were first released. I knew that Chuck didn't have a way to stay in touch with me once we left, so I figured why not get the games from the Buy More he works at. Double win in my book."

Wildfire: "Depends on who's asking. We didn't exactly get a proper introduction to Chuck last time, especially since you enjoyed using him for a pillow."

Maverick: "Chuck was a pillow for the first few seconds. After that, he became more like that comfortable bed in the morning that Hailey didn't want to get out of."

Hailey buried her face in Chuck's shirt to avoid showing her blushing face, Chuck had no escape from it as he blushed heavily while the guys cackled with laughter. Hailey regained her composure a few moments later before she whispered in his ear to just ignore them, the baritone voice of David Smith quieted them down as he made his presence felt.

David: "Knock it off children! Now oh daughter of mine, you've got something to discuss with us? For starters, it seems like you both know each other. Exactly how well do you know Chuck?"

Gambino: "Don't you mean her teddy bear boy toy?"

Hailey tried to lunge at Gambino before she was quickly restrained by Chuck, she settled back against him and covered his hands around her waist while glaring daggers at Gambino.

Gambino: "Easy there tiger, just sit back and relax. You sure don't want to lose your precious cargo after we found him again for you."

Gambino sat back with a smirk on his face while sipping on his beer. David raised an eyebrow at the by-play amongst the group, Chuck and Hailey clearly had some history together that he wasn't aware of. Hailey saw the look on her Dad's face and arms crossed, time to disclose facts.

Hailey: "Daddy, he's the one I told you about that kind of saved me from crashing on the beach last time we were out here. We stayed in touch throughout my deployment. He spent the Labor Day Weekend and the Oceana Air Show Weekends with me before returning back to L.A."

Khaos: "Crashing on the beach? David, she ran through him like a linebacker! His back took the full impact from the beach sand, she used the poor guy as a pillow to cushion her landing."

Hailey: "The ball was overthrown, I couldn't slow down in time. Blame it on the quarterback."

Artman: "Actually Hailey, you were a step slower on the post-out route. Otherwise, the pass would've been on the money. At least Chuck was able to secure the catch and even held on after you wiped him out."

David: "So that means you finally had a pass intercepted?"

Artman: "Chuck was an innocent bystander, so it doesn't count. Hailey basically made a carrier trap on the poor guy, would've been on the Greenie Board if you could count that."

Hailey: "At least he saved me from crashing and burning, my hero."

Hailey turned back and kissed Chuck's cheek to make him blush again after everyone's laughter. David wanted to get back to the issue at hand before they were interrupted.

David: "Now that we know why Hailey had to take you away for a talk, let's get back to business. Chuck, you work in a retail electronics store?"

Chuck: "Yeah, I've been working there for the last five years after my life was destroyed during my final semester of classes at Stanford."

Elizabeth: "Oh really, can you explain what happened?"

Chuck was in deep thought, Hailey turned to gently cup his face while looking him in the eyes.

Hailey: "Chuck, please tell them everything. Dad's the kind of lawyer and investigator that would turn over everything to see that truth and justice are served, he can help you."

Chuck looked into her pleading eyes, she placed both of her hands on his face and leaned her forehead against his. He closed his eyes for a minute to take a few deep breaths to get himself centered, he opened his eyes to see the worry in her eyes. He gently held her face in his hands, much like she was doing to him. He softly kissed her forehead as everyone watched the silent communication between them, Chuck took one final breath and released it before turning around to face the group and continued.

Chuck: "I started working there after my life was destroyed at Stanford during my final semester of classes. My so-called buddy stabbed me in the back. He stole the test key for our final exam and proceeded to hide it under my bed mattress before reporting it to Professor Fleming, he also called into Stanford's campus security leaving an anonymous tip about the stolen test key. Security searched our room and discovered the evidence where it was supposedly hidden, they immediately had me expelled without any questions or asked me why I did it. They just took their words because Bryce was a star athlete and the Professor's very well respected there."

Wildfire: "What a douche bag! There's more to this story I bet."

Chuck: "Unfortunately, there's more than just that. He also slept with my then girlfriend, I actually caught them together in the middle of having sex. What hurt me even more was that I was planning on proposing to her after we've graduated, it was a major blow to my pride that's for sure. Those two acts caused me to have a mental breakdown and I ended up falling into a long suffering depression."

Elizabeth: "Those traumatic events would most certainly take time to recover from, you said this was five years ago?"

Chuck: "Yes ma'am it did. I wasn't able to move on from that because my self-esteem and self-confidence had been destroyed. My sister was kind enough to let me live with her and her boyfriend until I could get back on my feet again. The only encouragement of support I had were from them and my best friend Morgan. I've never tried dating again because the severity of that betrayal had left me emotionally crippled to put my heart out there again, despite my sister's best efforts of desperately trying to set me up with her nurse friends several times. My heart was never into it because in my mind what kind of nurse would settle for someone working retail making only $11.50 an hour, it really wasn't rocket science to figure that out. I was finally recovering from it when I met Hailey, but something happened the night after my birthday that caused me to stop communication. I can't explain it really, but we got things straightened out. Now the current girlfriend I've been dating for the past month, I thought there really was something between us, but I don't know so much anymore."

David: "Why do you say that Chuck?"

Chuck: "I just learned that the douche bag of a roommate, just happened to be the boyfriend of my current girlfriend!"

Khaos: "Okay he just went from a douche bag to a low life rat bastard. Maybe we ought to find this dirt bag and teach him a lesson?"

Chuck: "You won't be able to do it. Though, I appreciate the sentiment. He was killed about a month ago."

David: "Okay let's change the subject here, what was your major and how much school did you have left Chuck?"

Chuck: "I was majoring in Electrical Engineering, I had a 4.0 GPA in my final semester of school with 12 credits left to complete my major. Only thing left was that final exam, I needed to take in order to complete the course and graduate. I planned to become a software designer while creating video games on the side, my goal was to have my own successful computer company by this point in my life. Instead, Bryce destroyed my hopes and dreams with those two acts."

Elizabeth: "What if you could finish up your degree? A second chance for a better career that lives up to your potential, if not more?"

Chuck: "I'd love to do that, but what about the black mark on my record from Stanford? I'm sure most reputable schools would balk on having me. The mark of academic dishonesty is a very long one."

David: "Leave that to me. I'm going up there in the morning personally, and you can mark my words that I will have a meeting with the Dean. I'm even going to make sure the Professor that also had you expelled will be available for an interview, even if I have to get a court order. There's going to be a complete background check done to investigate any potential red flags and from what you've told us already there's bound to be several, especially since they didn't do a very complete and thorough investigation. I'm also willing to bet you were never granted any chance to appeal their decision, this whole situation just screams a frame up job. Even a first year law student could see all the holes in this case, all of the evidence is circumstantial at best. The nature of how everything's planted, it's screaming frame job. Quite obviously, it's painted way too convenient if you ask me."

Chuck was stunned hearing David's passionate speech, the fact this man was willing to look into the entire debacle that had occurred five years ago to hopefully clear his name and remove the black mark of his record.

Chuck: "You're willing to do that for me? Why are you guys being so nice?"

Elizabeth: "We're doing this because we believe in you Chuck. My daughter and your new friends are also great judges of character. You're an exceptionally gifted young man that shouldn't have had a great career taken away, it's prevented you from trying to better yourself despite these circumstances."

David: "She's speaks the absolute truth Chuck. I'm willing to bet if you're given the chance to file an appeal about these charges, it would've proven the complete lack of an investigation and your afforded right to due process was never given. The finding result would over-turn the decision to expel you and remove the mark from your record. You're supposed to have a fair chance to tell your side of things despite the evidence, it's part of your rights to any hearing in any case. Stanford's administration dropped the ball on that, and you were made to pay the most unfortunate of any price."

Chuck sat there and nodded in acceptance before he felt Hailey's hand on his face, she turned him towards her to see the tears in his eyes. She herself was moved to tears after hearing the whole thing this poor man's been through, she wasted no time wrapping her arms and held on to him like he would've been picked up by the wind and tossed away. Chuck could feel her sobbing against his chest, he was shocked that Hailey was actually crying over the amount of pain and abuse he'd endured over the last five years. It broke her heart hearing the whole story, all Chuck could do right now was rub her back and hold her while the tears fall.

He felt a little better now, like a weight had been lifted off of his chest after recounting the whole Stanford story to everyone around. He was glad Hailey was there to help him through it, she encouraged him to spill it all to help him heal. Just when he started to feel better, Chuck's phone rings once again. He looked down to see Sarah's calling him, he sighs deeply knowing she's going to keep calling if he doesn't answer.

Gambino: "Girlfriend calling you again bro? That makes it what, four times already?"

Hailey: "More like ex-girlfriend, but that's going to get handled."

Chuck: "She's going to chew me out for ignoring her calls. Might as well get it over."

Hailey: "Ignore it Chuck, this is much more important. We need to explain everything."

Chuck nodded in understanding, he knew Hailey's right and didn't want to hear Sarah yelling at him while everyone's around. He let the phone go to voicemail and sighed.

Artman: "You told us earlier things were complicated with you two, what's the deal?"

Chuck: "She kept the name of her last boyfriend a secret, other then that everything else was all hunky dory."

Gambino: "So she never told you who her last was boyfriend, that's not all is it? We're here bro so let it out, it's not good to keep things all bottled up inside."

Chuck: "Sarah's best friend Carina came by to visit the other day. We all went out and the little time I was alone with Carina, we ended up talking about Sarah. She let it slip that Bryce and Sarah were a couple for several years. Yeah, I just found out that part myself. She also told me about Sarah's trust issues."

Elizabeth: "That's not a good way to start a relationship. Is there anything else?

Chuck: "When I asked her about it, she said that her old boyfriend's name was something that I don't need to know about. I started to get a feeling she knew about me from Bryce, we met a day or so after his death."

Everyone quickly looked at each other upon hearing those infamous words, especially when it's used by a certain spook they all know too well.

Artman: "It's a need to know situation, and you don't have the need to know?"

Chuck: "Yes, that's exactly how she said it! How did you know that?"

Gambino: "Stay on target Chuck, yes we've all seen Star Wars so don't be surprised. Let's rewind back to the start. Bryce got you expelled and slept with your girl five years ago, he dated Sarah for a couple years. Last month, he was killed just as she entered your life. Does that cover it?"

Chuck: "Pretty much. I saw her there by the tree line while we attended his funeral."

Elizabeth: "Something's wrong with this timeline, how did you and Sarah really meet?"

Chuck: "Well the first time she appeared at the Buy More claiming her phone's broken, I fixed her phone and had to help another customer with a dire emergency. When I returned to my station she was gone, but she left me her card with her number. The next day she returned again, saying her phone's broken because she didn't get any calls from me. Coincidentally, that morning the newspaper's frontpage headline had details about Bryce's death."

Hollywood: "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking here?"

Maverick: "This has Spook City written all over it, I can smell their stench from here."

David: "Chuck, we need you to be completely honest with us on this. In order for us to help you, we need to know which intelligence agency does Sarah work for?"

Chuck: "How do you guys know Sarah's an agent?"

Wildfire: "From everything you told us it was kinda easy to see, let me break it down for you. The 'need to know' line, the timeline with Bryce's death and Sarah's appearance, the trust issues, and most importantly you just asked us how do we know she's an agent."

David: "Trust us Chuck. We've worked hundreds of joint missions with the alphabet soup for many years. We know their entire playbook when it comes to field operations, it's not a good career move. I spent a couple months working exclusively for them."

Gambino: "Let us help you Chuck, who does Sarah work for?"

Chuck: "She's an agent with the CIA. My new neighbor and Buy More co-worker John Casey, he works for the NSA."

Wildfire: "Damn it man, what did you do to have two bloodsuckers like them? It's like having the ball and chain plus being handcuffed!"

David: "You're saying both the CIA and NSA monitoring you? I think it's time I have a nice little chat with a few people."

Gambino: "Your old buddy Spider on the list?"

David: "He's my second call, I guarantee you'll know who the first contact will be."

Artman: "Our favorite bald eagle himself?"

David: "His peaceful vacation's about to be ruined by us, especially with this bit of news."

Elizabeth: "Now remember sweetheart, don't ruffle his feathers too early in the morning. You know how grouchy he can be before his 3rd cup."

David: "Trust me darling, I don't plan on calling him until I've finished my talks with Stanford. By that time, his lunch would've settled for a couple hours due to the time difference."

Chuck: "Sarah's already upset with me for not answering my phone. Once she calls Casey, you know both of them will track me down. They're gonna be yelling at me the whole time about national security matters, while dragging me all the way back to Burbank."

Khaos: "If they're tracking you with bugs and other devices, your car's most likely bugged also."

Gambino: "Chuck don't worry about anything, nobody's gonna 'snatch and grab' you on our watch. We got a security system that's top of the line, plus our own security detail."

Chuck: "So what do we do in the meantime?"

David: "Well seeing that it's almost midnight, we better call it a night. There's a lot of things to take care of tomorrow, don't worry about anything Chuck. You're safe with us."


	6. Chapter 6

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 6: MEETING IN PARADISE (PART 3)

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

Everyone started getting up from their seats after David's order, the unmistakable sound of Chuck's cell phone was ringing again. Chuck was about to answer it, but Hailey snatched from his hand. She had a smile on her face and her eyes twinkled with mischief seeing who was calling him, the group waited in anticipation for the show to start.

Hailey: "Sweetie, just say hello. I will handle the rest."

She held the phone out for him to activate the speaker phone, what happened next would certainly start the fireworks show.

Chuck: "What do you need Sarah?"

Sarah: "Chuck! Where the hell have you been? I've called you four times already and you haven't answered me! What's the matter with you? More importantly where are you?"

Everyone could hear the yelling from Sarah, Hailey decided to give the spook a taste of her own medicine.

Hailey: "Chuck's unavailable for the rest of the night, especially to you. We've got some catching up to do, after someone forced him to end all communication."

Sarah: "Who the hell do you think you're talking to! Why is some skank answering my boyfriend's phone at this time of night! You better put him on the phone fast, or else I'm gonna hunt you down and rip your hair right off your scalp!"

Hailey: "You know they say talk is cheap. From what I hear, so are you! Since you clearly don't appreciate this great guy, he's moving on to someone else that will treat him well. Like he's their universe, not by some plastic 'Barbie-looking Witch' that constantly beats him down treating him like dirt. He's a human being, not a little toy that's only used to hold your attention for a few minutes and tossed away! It's late and he needs his rest. Have a pleasant night, I know Chuck and I most certainly will."

Hailey ended the call before handed the phone back to Chuck, who looked back at her in shock after hearing the way she talked to Sarah. Everyone else howled in laughter and raised bottles in a cheering salute, Hailey took a bow and smiled while soaking up the attention.

Hailey: "Thank you everyone, you're all too kind."

Chuck: "Thank you Hailey, but you didn't have to stick up for me like that."

Hailey: "Oh Chuck, my poor sweet Chuck. It definitely was the right thing to do. You've said it yourself that your CIA girlfriend has lied to you many times, her trust issues have shown she's a hypocrite. Her cover's important to her for the sake of the job. When she isn't around you, she can be herself by focusing on her job. She acts like the sweet loving girlfriend around your friends and family, whether it's around the city or a customer when you're alone and somehow catch the eye of any female. She'll magically show up to mark her territory."

David: "She's right Chuck. All of us heard how unhappy she was that you're not currently under her thumb, you noticed how quickly she acted as a girlfriend raging with jealousy once Hailey replied? Have you ever seen Sarah act like a possessive and territorial tigress?"

Chuck: "Just once when her best friend Carina showed up, it was like a broken record because I kept hearing from both her and Casey that Carina couldn't be trusted. It really intensified when Carina had shown some interest in me, Sarah kept getting angry and telling us to stay away from each other."

David: "She's playing the cover as your girlfriend, have you seen her do something that would question the way she feels?"

Chuck: "There's been about a couple of times when we're out with Casey that I see her flirt with another guy and allowed him to put his hands all over her, what's worse I've seen her kiss someone with so much passion that it hurt too much to stick around. I actually thought she had real feelings for me all this time, but because we're handler/asset that it's against the rules for us to have any relationship."

Gambino: "Unfortunately Chuck, that's the problem with being involved with female spooks. They're extremely trained for any situations and they learn to become great actresses for whatever roles needed to play to attain their goal. Shoot they could give the starlets in Hollywood a run for their money, that's how good they can be."

David: "He's right on that Chuck, sounds like it's her job to control you since you're her asset. Can we assume that the reason you feel vulnerable to her affections is because of what transpired back at Stanford with Bryce and your ex-girlfriend?"

Chuck just seen the connections being made by his new friends and had to agree with their assessment, nobody else with the exception of Carina had even remotely shown this much honesty when it comes to the spy world. These people may not be spies, but they've shown and admitted to him they've had experience with them.

Elizabeth: "From what you've said about Sarah, if she's as good as she sounds then she already knows your backstory. She could've read reports on you through a background check and anything else the CIA would have on you, possibly even learned about you from Bryce a little bit during their years together. She knows your confidence and self-esteem are major weaknesses from what transpired at Stanford, she focuses on that to control you. Plays it up to get you under control giving you false hope, but the minute she doesn't need to than she will drop you like a bad habit."

Artman: "It's an extremely demented version of Stockholm Syndrome, the only female you're even allowed to associate yourself with is your sister. Wrapping you up in a protective bubble to the point where you're solely reliant on her to survive."

Gambino: "You're basically a druggie hooked on her, she injected you with her charms and got into your skin. Now that you've been exposed to it for a period of time and it's in your system, you're powerless to resist and constantly crave it. Like cat nip to a cat."

Chuck: "I know you're right, it's just very frustrating you know. I'm at a crossroads because I don't know what to do. If I act differently she'll notice it and so will Casey, which could be worse because they can replace her. I trusted her too much with not just my life, but my heart as well. It's a no-win situation for me if that makes any sense."

David: "Not to make you sound anymore depressed Chuck, but the spooks are notorious for being cold-hearted and will terminate you at any given moment. You're gonna need to be on guard now more than ever, meaning you can't trust her completely because to her you're just a job. She'll claim that she has your best interests at heart, but that's just one more line from the spook handbook. They will turn on you so fast you won't see it coming."

Elizabeth: "On that note, it's time for this party to end tonight. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow and Chuck needs to get his room, why don't you follow Hailey to the lobby and check in with Gunny. In the morning Chuck, we're taking the first step towards a new life and brighter future for you. Time to say goodbye to 'Buy More Chuck', because your wardrobe is getting a major upgrade among other things."

Maverick: "You're not gonna take him shopping are you? Damn it Liz, we just met the guy and you're already gonna scare him off."

Chuck: "What do you mean shopping?"

Elizabeth: "You're going to experience a shopping spree with myself and my daughters. When we get through with you, women won't be able to resist you."

Hollywood: "Chuck might need a wingman for this trip, the girls might turn him into a 'Ken-doll'. Besides, he need's a guy's perspective on the proper fashion. No offense Chuck."

Chuck: "None taken, at least I don't think."

Gambino: "Oh hell, Chuck's gonna become an ultra pretty boy now just like Hollywood. Just watch yourself with that shark, he's a vicious one."

Hollywood gave the traditional "I'm not amused" look with the accompanying one-fingered salute that made everyone laugh.

Hailey: "There's one problem with your plan Mom."

Elizabeth: "What's that dear?"

Hailey: "No other women will get a chance with Chuck. We'd been together since we met, and all throughout my deployment. The two weeks we spent together in Virginia Beach gave us time to not only catch up, most importantly we talked about our plans for the future. It's something we both wanted to happen together, until those spooks came along. He told me everything, like he just told everyone else here. I'm not about to let him go again, especially to a good for nothing spook!"

David: "Calm down Hailey. Before you pledge yourself fully to Chuck, we need to really find out whether or not he shares the same feelings that you do."

Hailey knew her Dad was being reasonable, plus his "Daughter-Protection Radar" was once again active drawing a lock on Chuck. Everyone could see that David's sending a warning glare to Chuck, he would know if the words were true or not.

David: "Chuck, I need you to be quite honest with me. Is there any truth in those words that she said? You two would've still been together and continue building towards the future, if the events from this last month didn't happen?"

Chuck: "Yes sir, she speaks the truth. My feelings for her mirrors what she feels for me. Once the government invaded my life, I knew with the dangers involved that I needed to keep my family and friends safe. That's the only reason why I ended things with her, I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me. I sacrificed our future and happiness for her protection, I'd rather break our hearts instead of risking her life more if the dangers of my government involvement found out about her."

David: "Chuck, you may've broken her heart and usually I would make you hurt for that. However, you only did it because you wanted to protect her from any danger that involved you. That's a noble sacrifice you made and I can understand why you did it. Your love for her is very strong and I can see that not just in your words, but I can see it in your eyes as well."

Chuck: "I know this isn't the best time to bring it up, but I wanted you to know that if I was able to meet you during that period we'd been together. I would've come to you and tell you about our plans for the future, most of all I would've asked for your blessing when the time's right. Like we said, this whole mess had destroyed that.

David nodded his head in acceptance of Chuck's word, he clasped Chuck's shoulder with his hand and gave a shake of support with his smile.

David: "Now that we have that taken care of, it's bed time people. We got a lot to do and prepare for the upcoming mission. Chuck, you're a good man and that's one of the reasons why Hailey loves you. You probably didn't know this, but we did know about you for a long time. I read every email and letter she sent home, the way she felt about you and from what you told me the feeling's mutual."

David looked over to his wife and daughter, seeing them nod their heads in agreement. He knew this fine young man that had his world destroyed, had so much to give and he made his youngest extremely happy then he's seen in years. He decided to make it official for them.

David: "You both have to get back to where you were before this happened, I'm very confident that you will. You do indeed have our blessing, welcome to the family Chuck."

Everyone raised a bottle in salute welcoming Chuck into their group. As the party ended, Hailey escorted Chuck up to the resort heading for their rooms. He's taking in the amazing sights placed inside the front lobby that showcased its tropical paradise theme that was known throughout the area, they noticed the man at the front desk had already confirmed they presence after stepping through the front entrance to greet them. His eyes tracked their movement when Hailey cheerfully spoke up.

Hailey: "Evening Gunny, how's things going tonight?"

Victor: "Excellent as always. Already getting things squared away for the incoming guests, I'm told things will be better whenever the new software's installed. Is this my Executive VIP that I've been expecting?"

Hailey: "Yes he most certainly is. Chuck Bartowski meet Victor Vasquez, we call him 'Gunny' because that's what his rank was when we first met. No matter how many times he got promoted, he'll always be known as Gunny to us. Besides he runs this place and his staff that would make most DI's proud. Am I right Victor?"

Victor: "Ooh-rah ma'am! If that will be all, I shall check our guest into the system."

Hailey: "Gunny will square you away Chuck, I'm going to be over here until you're done."

Hailey walked over to the Gift Shop looking at different things while Victor checked him in.

Victor: "Greetings Mr. Bartowski, I formally welcome you to the New Millennium Paradise Resort. Where your trip to the Paradise City awaits."

Chuck: "Paradise City? I gotcha, a G-N-R reference."

Victor: "Yes it is, the owner Mr. Casino thought it would be a catchy slogan for the resort. I figured it could be 'your ticket to Paradise awaits' as an ode to Eddie Money's 'Two Tickets To Paradise' you know."

Chuck: "Don't forget that catchy song from 'Revenge of the Nerds 2' called '(Take Me) Back To Paradise'. Got to love the classics."

Victor: "That we do sir, I already have you setup in the Tower. Every room has 309 square feet, king-size bed, full-size tub with shower, Hi-Def TV, and your choice of which building wing you desire."

Chuck: "Which wing do I get to choose? I thought there's no differences?"

Victor: "Mission Wing offers a south-facing view of Mission Bay. Oceana Wing offers the north-facing view of the Pacific Ocean and coastline toward La Jolla. Eden Wing is a view of our lush tropical gardens. Any side you choose is basically a win for you."

Chuck: "Do the gardens have any snakes or serpents I need to worry about?"

Victor: "Yes of course, but they don't bite. They like to 'pop up' out of no where and..."

Victor leans in close like it's a very important secret as Chuck's eyes are wide open.

Victor: "They're made of rubber."

The two men shared a laugh, Chuck seemed to like the laid back atmosphere he was seeing around here. Maybe he truely was in paradise.

Victor: "Which side would you like?"

Chuck: "I will take the Oceana Wing."

Victor: "Excellent choice Mr. Bartowski, here's your room key. If you have any questions or need of any service, please feel free to contact the desk. Do you have the keys to your vehicle?"

Chuck: "Yes I do, why do you need them?"

Victor: "Our valet parking attendant will move your car to the reserved parking area closest to where your room's located. Your keys will be brought to your room along with your luggage, here's a map of the resort with all the locations of amenities and services we provide. Enjoy your stay Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck: "Thank you Victor, you have a great night."

Victor: "Most definitely. My shift ends in an hour, Patrick and Kat will be here until 0500. That's 5 am for you."

After handing over the Nerd Herder keys and thanking Victor for the hospitality, he met up with Hailey before heading for his room to enjoy the weekend. Once they were out of sight, Victor picked up the phone and dialed a number.

Victor: "Sir, the VIP has checked in accompanied by Deuce. I have him based in Oceana 1313...Yes sir, everything has been taken care of."

Victor hangs up the desk phone before turning to his sidekick and signals he is leaving.


	7. Chapter 7

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 7: CALM BEFORE THE STORM (PART 1)

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey wasn't a happy camper when he noticed Chuck's Herder wasn't in its usual parking spot. He went over to Casa Bartowski and knocked on the door, seconds later the door was opened by a bathrobe wearing Ellie.

Casey: "Sorry to bother you Ellie, have you seen or heard from Chuck? We're supposed to car pool together this morning."

Ellie: "I'm sorry John, he didn't come home at all last night. Should I be worried or do you think he spent the night with Sarah?"

Casey: "Most likely that's probably what happened, he should've called to let us know. He probably didn't want to be inconsiderate for calling late at night. I wouldn't worry too much if that's the case, please enjoy your day Ellie and say hi to Devon for me."

Casey returned to his apartment and pulled up his asset's tracking data. The Nerd Herder's GPS system pinpointed the location in Mission Beach outside of San Diego. It didn't matter that Chuck's wearing his government issued GPS tracker watch, Casey was seething that Chuck broke protocol because he left the area without letting anybody know. He needed to inform Beckman and Graham of the situation, but decided to wait until he informed his partner. Picking up his phone, he immediately called Sarah to let her know about their missing asset.

Sarah: "Walker secure. What's going on Casey?"

Casey: "I spoke with Ellie this morning, the moron never called or came home last night Walker. She thinks he spent the night with you."

Sarah: "Well it's obvious he's not here Casey! Do you know where he is?"

Casey: "Yeah, for some reason the moron's down at Mission Beach outside of San Diego."

Sarah: "San Diego? What's he doing down there without either of us?"

Casey: "That's exactly what I want to know. Have you tried calling the moron?"

Sarah: "I called him four times last night, he ignored me everytime. That's not like Chuck at all, we've got bigger issues though."

Casey: "What could possibly be a bigger issue than Bartowski not being here?"

Sarah: "He finally answered on the fifth call, but it was only to ask what I needed. I started to read him the riot act for breaking protocol and for not letting us know where he was. Instead of answering back with whiny excuses and apologizing for his stupidity, some stupid skank he picked up was on the phone! She clearly told me that he's not going to be available, especially to me for the rest of the night."

Casey: "Are you serious Walker? The bigger issue why Bartowski's not here is some female wants Chuck to dip his chocolate into her peanut butter? Since we've been assigned here, that's twice in the past month that your lady feelings got worked up and that's with Carina on the diamond mission. Are you sure this is just for the cover? Because you're sounding like a possessive and jealous girlfriend, are you sure the geek didn't comprise you?"

Sarah: "Rest assured Agent Casey, my priority is the safety of the asset and protection of the Intersect. My lady feelings as you put it are not an issue, feelings are a sign of weakness and they get in the way of our job. It's duty first and foremost, the protection of the 'greater good' must prevail Major! Now that we're on the same page, do you suspect he was kidnapped?"

Casey: "That's tough to say Walker. If he was kidnapped, why would they take the Herder with them? We need to alert the General and hop a flight from LAX to San Diego, we can be at the Herder's location in 90 minutes."

Sarah: "I'm on my way Casey. This is something I never expected from Chuck, I just hope they don't think he is running. Taking an unsanctioned trip without us isn't smart on his part, he should know better than pulling a foolish stunt like this!"

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

Chuck felt like a new person relaxing in his room, the shower was a tremendous help relieving the tension from his muscles and stress from the previous day's events. He was stretched out on the bed in a white t-shirt and gray sweat pants in deep thought, thinking back to that moment on the beach. His first reaction was to run after getting to his feet when he first saw the two men mostly due to his past experiences with bullies. So why didn't he? He remembered they were immediately apologetic and checked him over to make sure he was okay, much like Ellie and Devon would do after a clumsy spill. His gut instinct was telling him to trust them.

He was glad he did. They remembered him once he introduced himself, even joked with him about the day Hailey tackled him at the Santa Monica Pier back in March. Not only were they able to talk him into coming down to not only forget his troubles, but a job since Casino needed computer work done for the resorts. Anna had originally submitted a request for the day off because of plans made a month in advance, the request was granted and as usual there was a mix-up in the communication. Once she noticed that week's schedule had her working that day, Anna asked Chuck if he could switch with her after she explained the situation. She offered to take the early morning shifts for the rest of the week, if he took her place as the on-call Nerd Herder that night. Knowing that Anna never asked for this before and how hard she worked, especially knowing she was notified the request was granted and for some reason never made it to Big Mike when he made the schedule. He agreed to the switch immediately, which was something he never mentioned to Casey.

That little schedule change allowed him to be dispatched to fix their computer issues because the main people who kept it updated were tied up with projects across the country, which was one of the reasons Casino graciously handled his room and board. Shortly after his arrival there, Casino had Chuck accompany him to the communication room to check everything and write up a very detailed work order. What needed to be done and the equipment required to complete the job task. The order was filed and sent to the Buy More Corporate office for proof of records, Casino had copies for himself and Chuck as a backup in case the order was lost.

Chuck's mind was currently occupied with the reunion with Hailey, he was shocked to see her again and after being dragged away to talk about what happened. It became clear that she wasn't letting him go, especially if she had anything to say about it. She accompanied him to the room and stayed for a while as they continued to talk while the usual cuddling and kissing, in his mind it was genuinely real. He could actually tell a difference between Sarah and Hailey, even though he wasn't big on PDA's like he told Sarah at the beginning of their cover relationship. Not only because of his terrible history the past few years, but with Hailey's personality and the way she carried herself around him everything seemed to come so natural that his body just went instinctively with the flow before he realized it. She told him that as much as she wanted to spend the night, she had to go home since they're going shopping in the morning with her mother and sister. She assured him that Hollywood wouldn't be tagging along, because she would make sure things didn't get out of hand with her family.

The sound of someone knocking on the door Chuck brought out of his musings, his first thought was Casey and Sarah found him to drag him back to L.A. and throw him into a bunker. Then again he also remembered that's not their style, they would've picked the lock or kicked the door open or worse dress up as staff to sneak in claiming to be house keeping. He slowly got up from the bed and cautiously looked through the peep hole, he breathed a sigh of relief seeing Victor. Taking a calming breath to get his heart rate under control, he opened the door to him standing there with a smirk plastered on his face.

Victor: "Good morning Mr. Bartowski, I take it you're pleased with your accomodations so far?"

Chuck: "Extremely pleased thank you Victor, what brings you by before your shift?"

Victor: "Two reasons really. First, I wanted to make sure everything's okay after you settled in and the other reason is Mr. Casino wanted to meet with you. Don't worry about your state of dress, after all this is a beach resort so just relax."

Chuck: "Well in that case we shouldn't keep him waiting."

Victor: "Not unless you want to enjoy your time here that much sooner, I'm positive that you're going to enjoy the meeting and the rest of the time here Chuck."

Chuck followed Victor down the hallway and proceeded down the elevator to the ground floor heading towards the beachside bar where other guests were lounging around until they stopped at a small table where A.J. Casino was sitting, he rose to his feet seeing the two men approach before formally greeting Chuck.

Casino: "Good morning Chuck, even though we met spent little time together yesterday. Mostly get the whole 'business before pleasure' crap out of the way. I wanted to let you get acclimated to meeting more members of our group. Now I can formally say welcome to the New Millennium Paradise Resort, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Chuck: "Yes sir I am, thank you very much."

Casino: "Please call me A.J. or Casino, no need to be formal with me despite our backgrounds."

Chuck: "Backgrounds?"

Casino: "Yes, backgrounds within the government. Victor here doesn't stand on formal ceremonies with me, despite his years of service to our country. Isn't that right Gunny?"

Victor: "Sir, you're right as usual."

Chuck could see the ever-present smirk on Victor's face as a mildly amused Casino raised an eyebrow in the former Marine's direction.

Casino: "As you can see Chuck, he tends to be a smart ass every now and then. You pick up those type of bad habits in our group, comes with the territory I'm afraid. I could always order him to drop down and give me 20 for a laugh."

Victor approaches Casino pulling out his wallet before dropping to his knee, he looks over to Chuck with a wink before handing over a $20 bill to Casino. Chuck's not sure want to think about this until Casino breaks out in laughter.

Casino: "You see Chuck, this is the type of bad habit I was talking about. Normally, he would've just belted out 20 push-ups with no problem or some other smart ass way. Besides, I rather take this 20 from him in a much more enjoyable manner."

Casino handed the money back to Victor while Chuck was curiously asked Casino.

Chuck: "I'm almost afraid to ask what manner would that be A.J.?"

Victor: "Straight out of my pocket Chuck, and I'm not talking about deducting it from my paycheck. You see Casino loves to play cards like most of us, especially Texas Hold 'Em to be more precise. If there's a card game around you would find him there, didn't matter if it was in a bar or a big time casino and location was a non-factor. The man has a nose for good business investments and has more connections throughout the world than possibly the government."

Casino: "For instance, Chuck let me break this down for you. I know you're working for the government. Relax my friend, let me explain this to you and put you at ease. You're currently employed by the Buy More, which is a corporation correct?"

Chuck: "Yes sir, it's founded by Moses Finklestein."

Chuck was curious to where this was going, leaned forward to hear Casino's explaination.

Casino: "Let's break this down to the foundation and start it out. Tell me Chuck, what's the chain of command structure at Buy More according to rules and regulations?"

Chuck: "Employees report to Management, who in turn report to Corporate. Next step up the ladder is Corporate reports to the Board of Directors and CEO."

Casino: "The CEO reports to the Shareholders, who in turn have to report to the SEC. Now tell me Chuck, who is the SEC affiliated with?"

Chuck immediately sees the connection and remembers the infamous 'Tango' mission with La Ciudad. When he ran into his former Stanford classmate Alan Waterman, who was involved with insider trading with accounts in the Caymans thanks to the Intersect data. He remembered seeing the look of horror in Alan's eyes after spitting out the information before he asked Chuck if he was with the SEC.

Chuck: "SEC is a branch of the United States Government, very impressed with your logic."

Casino: "Which is why I see you're an extremely smart man Chuck. You came here to not only do a computer job, but to enjoy yourself which is what you're going to do. From what I heard that you're scheduled for a shopping trip with Elizabeth and her daughters, we have a tailor on site here to get your measurements done. Once he has the information gathered, he can begin working on a custom-made suit and delivered to your suite. Now I wanted to finish discussing business details with you, for this job you're going to be doing here. You're going to be getting paid not just from Buy More, but I'm going to pay you as well.

Chuck: "Mr. Casino, I don't know what to say. You're paying me to do the work?"

Casino: "There's a reason why I am Chuck. First, I've had a contract drawn up to make things official for one month, you've told me about the amount of work you're going to be putting in especially here. We both know that working in retail and electronics type stores don't pay their workers as well for everything they do. Are you with me so far?"

Chuck: "Yes sir, I'm following. Still confused about this contract."

Casino: "It's going to be straight and to the point Chuck, you're part of the family now and we always look out for one another. I spoke with David this morning before he left for Stanford and told me about what happened in your past. To put bluntly, they nailed your ass dry and didn't bother with any KY or vaseline! We checked your record at Buy More, your work ethic and customer service skills are top-rated across the board. Face it son, your talents are being wasted at a place that's paying just over broke. If you factor in the cost of living to what you're making, there's absolutely no way you can survive on your own because of the poor pay. Now I know you read contracts before and such, the main point of having you sign is the benefits and perks will kick in immediately. While you're working on our systems for the next month, you'll be provided with room and board at all locations. You're going to be paid $100,000 and an added bonus, you'll have a brand new personal car of your own that you choose. Any questions?"

Chuck: "Just one sir, where do I sign?"

Casino slid the contract over and watched as Chuck read everything over, it was short and straight to the point. Everything that was mentioned was stated in there, Chuck signed the contract and slid it back over to Casino and double checked everything before he signed off on it then handed it to Victor to enter it into the records of the resort.

Casino: "Welcome aboard Chuck, it's going to be great for all of us. I checked with my suppliers and the equipment has been ordered for the locations, they'll be delivered on Monday morning. So you have the rest of the weekend to rest up and enjoy, now I believe Victor has something to say and requires some things from you."

Victor: "First, welcome aboard to our crew Chuck. There's something else we need to discuss, it's about our security here. Speaking of which, I need your phone, wallet, and watch please."

Chuck was stunned by Victor's request for his items, he realized after last night's meeting with everyone else about how well they know the CIA among other agencies. He handed over the items to Victor albeit reluctantly, Victor noticed the hesitation and explained the request.

Victor: "Don't worry Chuck, it's just a major security protocol with us. Since government issued trackers were found inside them. Your vehicle was discovered to be fully equipped with government issued toys. You see unlike most resorts, we take security extremely serious. We have powerful scanners that can do a complete swipe of you with infrared thermal imagery without the task of actively searching you like you going through airports or federal buildings."

Casino: "He's right Chuck, given how the rise of terrorism has been especially after 9/11 happened and the fighting still continues in the Middle East. More and more cells are coming out and reports of more bombings and what not from radicals. Everybody gets scanned once they arrive on the property, your car was the first scanned when you arrived. With us, it's a way to provide security and safety to our guests and staff while being unintrusive."

Chuck: "Doesn't the government do that stuff too? Like with the monitoring and all?"

Victor: "The difference between us and the alphabet soup is simple, they can peep on you anytime day or night just because their mindset is they're untouchable. Whereas for us, once you arrive on our property you have all the cameras in the area zoomed on you scanning for everything including the inside of your vehicle without being subjected to a search. All of that has been done and checked before you park to check-in, at that point if everything's green and clean then it's all kosher and you never get bothered by any searches."

Chuck: "Does the government even know you have those types of toys? How did you come by all of that technology?"

Casino: "Oh Chuck my boy, ever the curious one. Always thinking and always wanting to find out more, I appreciate your enthusiasm with the technology aspect of things. The government themselves definitely doesn't have the need to know our business, because of my connections and I have friends that constantly work on 'Next-Gen Tech'. They're constantly doing R & D type stuff and they wanted to try this out, I know what you're thinking and that it's part of the system here that you worked on. That system's not handled here, it's monitored by a different security type who's classification level is higher than any intelligent director's paygrade."

At this moment, Chuck saw Elizabeth, Hailey, and another woman he assumed was the other daughter were heading towards them. Before the women came to the table, the men showed their manners by standing up to greet them.

Casino: "Good morning ladies, it's great to see you. Since Jen wasn't here last night, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our flock. Jennifer Smith, meet Chuck Bartowski."

Jennifer: "Nice to meet you Chuck, are you ready for this shopping excursion?"

Chuck: "As ready I will ever be, never been much on shopping."

Casino: "Jen, your parents and others met him last night. On the other hand, from what I heard it seems that Hailey knows more about him than all of us. Care to share?"

Hailey: "Yes I do know more about Chuck then everyone else, that information is what Spider would say 'classified' and nobody else has the need to know. Sorry to tell you Uncle A.J. but this is one time you're not getting the answers to your questions."

Hailey came over to stand next to Chuck, gently patting his cheek as Victor and Casino were trying hard not to laugh at the adorable scene before them with Chuck trying not to blush.

Hailey: "As for you my sweet Chuck, don't worry about this shopping trip. I promise that you're gonna enjoy it, maybe if you like I can get something you would like even more."

Hailey reached up and kissed his cheek leaving a mark of lipstick there causing everyone to laugh, Chuck couldn't stop blushing while Hailey tenderly removed the mark.

Casino: "With that in mind, here's my card Liz. I assume you're giving Chuck a full wardrobe upgrade. I notified the tailor to have an appointment setup for Chuck to be measured for the custom suits, nothing's off limits for you and the girls. Now go have fun and don't lose Chuck."

Soon after Chuck left on the excursion, Casino contacted Buy More Corporate. Not only to rave about Chuck, but he signed him to a month long job contract for a complete upgrade of every system in the four resorts that was owned by New Millennium Paradise chain in the San Diego area. He would be paid $100,000 for the total job and be provided with a brand new vehicle of his own choice. Casino clearly stated that if Chuck exceeds any expectations of the work done before end of contract, he would sign Chuck exclusively to work full-time for him. Buy More Corporate was very pleased for the review, not only by a new customer but an extremely well known resort chain. They logged it into their system on the spot and confirmed to Casino that everything's in there as he wanted for the work orders to be carried out, they said doing it this way would save everyone time from making multiple work orders.


	8. Chapter 8

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 8: CALM BEFORE THE STORM (PART 2)

BURBANK BUY MORE / BURBANK, CA

John Casey and Sarah Walker arrived at the Buy More about 30 minutes ago, making sure nobody followed them towards the Home Theatre Room to discuss their asset's unscheduled trip without telling them about it. Casey stopped at the Nerd Herd kiosk to double check the work order log in the system, he noticed there were two new orders filed for New Millennium Paradise Resorts. The first one was from Chuck providing full details of the problems the customer was experiencing and what needed to be done, the second was from the owner A.J. Casino giving Chuck an awesome review of his performance and wanted him to work on the systems for the other resorts in the area. Casey didn't like this at all, his loud growl caused Sarah to come over to the kiosk to read the information.

Casey: "Damn it Walker, we have a major problem!"

Sarah: "What are you talking about Casey?"

Casey: "Bartowski's on a legal job down at some damn high-class resort in San Diego. Buy More put him on it last night!"

Sarah: "Wasn't he supposed to be off last night? That's why you were gonna car pool this morning."

Casey: "The schedule had Anna being the on-call Nerd Herder last night, they must've switched since I saw her in the breakroom. Numbnuts should've at least notified us."

Sarah: "What are we going to do Casey? It's gonna look like we screwed up."

Casey: "We need to tell Beckman and Graham about these changes, some things can't be helped such as the people switching and it's not updated. I checked the archives and noticed that it's happened a handful of times before our assignment here last month, the original schedule and the updated one for the end of that week confirms that employees that switch don't show up in the system until end of the week. That's something beyond our control. "

Sarah: "This is one conversation I'm dreading to have."

Casey nods in agreement before they move to the Home Theatre Room, Sarah closes the drapes while Casey activates the link as General Beckman and Director Graham appear on the screen. They discussed Chuck's unscheduled trip last night and not alerting them to his new whereabouts.

Beckman: "Agents, the asset's disappearance seem to be most troubling. Despite having his current location, I'm confused as to why he's not in your custody at this exact moment. Maybe there's a reason for that, why don't you start from the beginning?"

Casey: "General and Director, I had the asset originally located at Santa Monica Pier on the beach. It's where he spends his time when he needs to decompress and think about things, something he's done for many years. Agent Walker tried to contact him last night, but none of those calls were answered."

A puzzled expression was on Graham's face, he leaned into the camera slightly.

Graham: "That's not something that should happen, given how successful you're handling of assets Walker. Any reason why Bartowski's acting this way?"

Sarah thought for a minute to what could've triggered Chuck's behavior, the answer came to her quickly and she couldn't believe that she didn't notice it sooner.

Sarah: "The cover relationship I have with the asset had taken a hit, it's mostly due to Agent Hansen's revealing of my prior relationship with Agent Larkin to the asset. As you're well aware of, there's quite a bit of history between the two going back to their freshman year at Stanford. When he asked me about it, I told him that he didn't have the need to know. My answer didn't sit too well with him, I firmly believe that lead to this behavior change."

Beckman: "Where's the asset right now Major?"

Casey: "The asset was tasked last night to do an emergency repair for one of the New Millennium Paradise resort chain in San Diego area. The Nerd Herder that he uses for his job's located at the resort in Mission Beach, he was originally supposed to work this morning and not last night. However, it appeared that he had switched his schedule with one of the other Nerd Herders for some reason that we're unaware of. I checked the archives and can confirm the changes in scheduling won't appear until the end of the week, it's been that way at Buy More for years. Our system didn't suffer a breakdown as originally thought."

Beckman: "Have either of you tried contacting him this morning?"

Sarah: "Not yet ma'am. We felt the situation needed to be reported first before doing any 'snatch and grab' of the asset considering he was tasked to do a legal job overnight."

Beckman: "You should've contacted him despite any hour! This sloppiness won't be tolerated and it's very unprofessional of you! Do we need you both replaced for losing our country's most valuable asset?"

Casey: "Not at all ma'am, I can do my job as required. We can hop a flight to San Diego and arrive at his location within 90 minutes, he would be in our custody before the end of the day."

Sarah had brought up one other concern about Chuck's sudden disappearance.

Sarah: "We both thought about the possibility of the asset being kidnapped and taken to that area, but two things didn't add up. Why bring his car down? Plus the address shows it's an upscale beach resort, could that be a plot to cover their tracks?"

Graham's cell phone started buzzing, he looked down at the display before stepping away from the screen to answer it. He returned a couple minutes later with a look of fear on his face.

Graham: "Agents you're dismissed, Diane I need to discuss something with you."

Beckman: "Are you sure Director? I was getting to the good part of their incompetence."

Graham: "Yes Diane, it's that important."

Beckman's office phone started to ring as well, something was definitely wrong at Fort Meade. She looked at the two agents with disappointment clearly showing on her face.

Beckman: "Find out what you both can and report back around 1300, that's all people!"

Beckman disconnected the feed leaving Casey and Sarah puzzled, they looked at each other strangely.

Sarah: "Well some of that was unexpected."

Casey: "What do you mean Walker? We just got our ass chewed out by the General."

Sarah: "That I expected, what I didn't expect was the look on Graham's face when he came back on-screen. I haven't seen that before, he looked scared."

Casey: "Graham's never shown fear, I guess I wasn't observing him. I didn't see it, but he did abruptly interrupt Beckman. She was about to hit her stride."

Sarah: "So another thing, they didn't task us to reclaim Chuck. Isn't that kinda odd too?"

Casey: "You're right. Since they didn't give us any further orders, are we standing down?"

Sarah: "I think our jobs depend on doing nothing. I suggest you get better get to work, I'm heading to Echo Park to visit Ellie. If there's one place Chuck returns to will be there."

Casey: "I wouldn't do that Walker, she thought Chuck spent the night with you. If you show up and ask if she's heard from Chuck, you're going to cause her to be more worried about him. You know just how protective she is about him, she would call the police and that would make an even bigger mess then what we have right now. Find out what you can about that resort and we'll put our heads together on how to handle this before we report back."

Both of them left the Home Theatre Room when they noticed the crowd gathered around the Nerd Herd desk, Big Mike was standing there giving them some speech when they heard Chuck's name being mentioned. They both hurried over there seeing Big Mike holding some documents, this could be interesting they thought.

Big Mike: "In case you nerds were wondering why I wanted this little meeting with you, I have here in my hand some very detailed work orders that was entered into the corporate system during the night. Apparently, some high class resort in San Diego had a major computer issue and Bartowski was tasked to fix the problems. Due to the size of the issue and the length of repairs, the owner to show his gratitude not only has taken care of Bartowski's room and board for last night. It appears he will be there for the following week!"

Anna: "Sounds like Chuckles strikes again. What else is there sir?"

Big Mike: "That's just the starting point. Apparently, the owner notified them he signed Chuck to a contract working for him exclusively for the next month. He'll be upgrading the other resorts in San Diego that's under the chain. Now if the kid can surpass expectations like we know he will, the owner will keep him on for what looks like an indefinite period of time."

Lester: "Are you saying Chuck's basically getting a working/paid vacation?"

Big Mike: "This job will take care of Bartowski's needs, he could leave the Buy More."

Morgan: "Why would he leave us? This is the Buy More for crying out loud!"

Big Mike: "Because idiot, you didn't let me get to the most important part!"

Jeff: "Looks like 'Chuck's Stable of Hoes' will be no more."

Big Mike: "Knock it off people! Like I was saying, the most important part on why we can assume he's leaving is the amount of money that Bartowski will make on this."

Morgan: "How much would that be big guy?"

Big Mike: "Not counting the hours paid for doing Buy More work for a new client. Bartowski's getting free room and board at all locations, own personal vehicle which means no more Nerd Herder, and above all getting paid $100,000!"

Lester: "That's not fair! Bartowski gets to live the high life of luxury and women while we're stuck here, I demand justice!"

Big Mike: "Suck it up Patel! Bartowski's been the backbone of this store for the last few years and if anybody deserves this chance of a lifetime, it's certainly him. Now that I made that big announcement, it's time to get back to work people!"

The entire crowd was stunned speechless looking at one another, even Casey and Sarah were thinking how could this be possible. This major development needed to be reported to the bosses immediately! If Chuck's going to be in San Diego for the next month working at a high-class resort, it would definitely cause issues with them in regards to the Intersect.

Casey: "This needs to be reported ASAP, contact the bosses and I'm gonna dig up as much information as I can about Bartowski's mysterious new boss."

Sarah nodded in agreement before heading out of the store through the back entrance to avoid the gathered crowd of Buy More employees, soon as she got into her beloved Porshe she was raging with anger at the developments. Her asset had taken an unscheduled trip without a word and when she finally got him on the phone, some skank told her point blank to take a hike since she didn't deserve such a wonderful guy, and now this mysterious job offer with benefits that could rival the CIA. Something definitely wasn't right with this picture, looks like it's time to pack a bag for San Diego.

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

What felt like an eternity to Chuck, but in reality only a couple of hours. The shopping spree was over with despite having reservations of being the guinea pig for the girls, he actually had a decent time with them. The girls knew what styles would work for him for the casual everyday fashion and the perfect date, while Elizabeth handled the designer suits for the fancy formal outings. He was extremely thankful that everything was handled with a certain seriousness and never tried to embarass him, especially when Hailey found a few pairs of boxers she suggested he try on. After the shopping was done, the next task was a trip to the spa that Chuck was dreading because it wasn't his style. Hailey pointed out his hair had the habit of making funny animal shapes after a period of time, she liked the curls but it could be trimmed up to look much better. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender.

Two hours later after the shopping and spa treatments, a freshly clean-cut Chuck was sitting in one of the lounge chairs with Hailey in her now familiar seat on Chuck's lap at the resort as his new friends were all gathered around in a circle. They discussed many things that Chuck would be doing for them, and what else he could potentially do depending on what they find out from David. Chuck knew he was getting paid for his services rendered on the Buy More clock plus the contract he signed with Casino, he had to ask Casino why was he being given the major pay.

Chuck: "Please don't be offended A.J. I sincerely appreciate this complete leap of faith you're showing me, but why are you paying me so much money to do these jobs for you?"

Casino: "I could give you an evasive answer that you would accept, but it's much easier to tell you honestly and I have six reasons why. First of all Chuck, this way things don't look suspicious. Second, we need to provide you with a cover to buy some time away from the possible shit storm that your two agent friends will create from your disappearing act. Third, while David is getting things sorted out with investigations and you upgrade our equipment you can spend your time here with us. You'll be receiving some basic training fundamentals and leave your worries behind. Fourth, as you know you're getting a brand new car of your choice. You're with us now Chuck, time to turn in the Herder for a more dependable ride that's not low-jacked from the spooks either. Fifth, I'm guessing that you're not getting a penny from the spooks for making you do agent work. They expect you to risk your life to do their dirty work for free, at least in the military you're getting a paycheck with benefits. Last and certainly not least, the reason I'm paying you $100,000 is quite simple. It's because I damn well can!"

Chuck: "All of you've been nothing but nice and accepting. There's no way I could ever re-pay you all for the kind of gratitude you've shown me, with the exception of my best friend Morgan and my family. I've never had anybody show this much faith in me nor taken the interest."

Artman: "One thing you need to know about us Chuck, when you're with us you become family. When you're in this family, it's for life and there's one motto we've always lived by for the fifteen plus years we've been together. You don't mess with the family!"

Chuck: "Thank you very much, just one problem though. My sister Ellie doesn't know anything about the government side of my life. She's very over-protective of me and probably hysterical since I failed to contact her last night."

Casino: "We can either call her from here or make a more favorable approach, fly up there in my private jet and tell her the news in person."

Chuck: "Much as I'd love to see her, I'm worried Casey and Sarah would snatch me on the spot and throw me into a bunker on orders from Beckman. I don't want her to think I abandoned her, our parents did that to us and we had nobody else but each other since I was 15."

Casino: "Don't worry about the spooks, Chuck. You wouldn't be travelling alone anyways, I'm sure Hailey would personally accompany you to see your sister as would myself and some of these guys. David should be calling soon to tell us what he's able to find out.

Chuck: "Ellie and Devon should be off today, both of them are doctors at Westside Medical."

Casino: "If David confirms what we suspect, you could possibly be relocated for a while for your safety. However, the contract you signed that's now on record in the Buy More Corportate Headquarters includes every resort that's under my chain throughout the world. Right now you're tasked with just the San Diego area, but if I have an emergency spring up in say Italy. All I can say is enjoy yourself. This means you're gonna be protected under our care and best of all, you'll be allowed to keep in touch with your family and friends without fear of government forced extraction or monitoring."

Chuck couldn't believe his good fortune. Suddenly, Casino's cell phone rings as the display shows David's face with his trademark cocky grin.

Casino: "Chuck my boy, I do believe business is about to pick up."


	9. Chapter 9

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 9: CALM BEFORE THE STORM (PART 3)

APPROACHING BOB HOPE AIRPORT / BURBANK, CA

Chuck Bartowski was feeling nervous, this was the last time he'd be setting foot in the Buy More as the leader of the Nerd Herd. Dressed in a nice form fitting black dress shirt and pants with his hair trimmed down that eliminated the curls. He felt different not wearing the same white dress shirt and black pants that made up the Nerd Herd uniform, it's truly a sign that he's moving on from a place that had become a sanctuary for him during his darkest times the last few years. He knew that Ellie would be happy that he's finally leaving the Buy More, the only downside would be her extreme pushiness to make him speed things along with the "relationship" with Sarah.

He was brought out of his musings when he felt a soft tender squeeze in his hand as he looked over to see Hailey smiling at him, she was looking radiant in her black blouse and dress pants with that spark of mischief in her blue eyes telling him things would be okay and to enjoy the fun that's about to happen. He was thinking about the discussion they had at the resort when making final plans.

 _FLASHBACK: MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA (3HRS AGO)_

 _Despite having Hailey and Casino on the plane with him, they first suggested having Chuck handle things with Buy More by himself with a couple of the guys at a distance for backup if his handlers made an attempt to grab him. Elizabeth vetoed that idea, Chuck would need someone by his side at all times for that very reason._

 _Hailey brought up some interesting points. The conversation over the phone last night didn't sit too well with Sarah, so it would make sense for him to have a female companion. Chuck and Hailey have an established history together, some of his friends had already seen her before with Chuck, they know she was in the Navy stationed in Virginia and knew he had taken a vacation to spend time with her. With her being by his side would accomplish two things, she would be supportive and helpful to Chuck being at his side at this big change in his life. The other reason, to give them more time to spend together. After all, they have a month to make up for lost time. That last point brought laughter from the crew assembled._

END FLASHBACK: BOB HOPE AIRPORT / BURBANK, CA

The group just landed at Bob Hope Airport sitting inside one of Casino's Gulfstream G650ERs waiting to disembark after getting David's phone call. The investigation he ran along with the help of his contacts provided all the proof he needed, Chuck took another drink from his bottled water while feeling Hailey's soothing touch of her rubbing circles over his back. He had to admit that he did feel the nerves start to subside. Taking a deep breath and looked into her eyes the silent communication was indeed welcomed, she gave him in return a radiant smile that turned him into jello. He had to admit that Sarah's smile she gave him was beautiful, but the spark in her eyes was only for show when others were around. The clearing of a throat broke the spell as they looked over to see Casino smirking at them, he apparently thought it's funny seeing how Chuck and Hailey were acting like a love-struck couple.

Casino: "Sorry to spoil your fun Chuck, I was making sure you're still here with us on Planet Earth and not on Fantasy Island. I just received word the rest of our team's in position, David should be here shortly before we get this show on the road. So you two won't be able to continue your adorable little love game."

Hailey started to make a smart remark, but David stuck his head in before entering the plane.

David: "Somebody call my name?"

He apparently caught the tail end of Casino's comments before taking a seat in front of Chuck and Hailey, looking at Casino and turned his eyes over seeing the position Chuck and Hailey were sitting in. He decided to add in his two cents to the conversation.

David: "What's this about adorable little games I'm hearing about?"

Hailey: "Don't listen to him Dad, you know how Uncle A.J. likes to stir things up. Besides Chuck's having a bout of the nerves for the upcoming drama he's gonna endure."

David: "Well perhaps I can help with that, I've had a very enlightening day at Stanford with all the involved parties. Now the question is, should I tell you now? Or do you want to wait until we visit his family, and let the cat out of the bag together?"

Casino: "Knowing you as well as I do David, I say let's wait for the surprise."

David: "That's what I was hoping for, but I will share just this one piece of information. Things will be different, that you can definitely take to the bank."

Casino: "On that note, let's get this party started."

Everyone disembarked from the jet before climbing into the waiting limosuine, Chuck still couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was in the pit of his stomach. He was starting to freak out knowing the closer they get to Buy More, that Casey and Sarah's will pounce that much sooner. If they didn't grab him there the chances also were high at Echo Park, since both had shown they could get to him through the 'Morgan Door' anytime. He knew that everyone was looking at him in concern, letting out a deep breath before looking towards his friends...Scratch that, his new family. David voiced the concern that everyone else was feeling.

David: "Talk to us Chuck, we're here to help you. What's got you feeling like you've gone through the world's biggest roller coaster?"

Chuck: "I'm afraid I'm not going to be safe here anymore. Casey and Sarah can grab me anytime they please, whether it's at my sister's apartment or at the Buy More. The apartment's filled with bugs to keep me monitored for my protection, or so they say. I have no privacy anymore, I can't live a normal life, and I'm especially not allowed to date for real because of the stupid cover relationship with Sarah."

Hailey: "Well sweetie, that's something they're gonna have to deal with. They may think they can control your entire life, but they can't force you to deny your heart."

Chuck: "They will try to make you disappear and claim you're a threat to national security. Or worse, throw me into an underground bunker without seeing anybody again."

David: "Rest assured Chuck, if they even think about threatening my daughter or throw you in a bunker because it's not part of their plans. I can make one phone call and those spooks will wish they were never born!"

Casino: "Chuck, you said that the apartment you share with your sister is bugged correct?"

Chuck: "Yes I did, it's monitored all throughout the apartment with the exception of Ellie's bedroom and the bathroom."

Casino: "What about the rest of the complex?"

Chuck: "They have the entire complex wired for both audio and video. The courtyard fountain is wired for audio, I'm not sure about the other apartments."

David's blue eyes turned from shiny and bright into dark and cold as ice with a dangerous glint in them, he reached inside his coat pocket and hit a speed dial on his cell phone.

David: "Hey it's Smith, break out the extermination gear and drop some bombs. We'll be there in fifteen minutes so get the music ready."

BURBANK BUY MORE / BURBANK, CA

The limosuine arrived at its first destination, the Buy More. Chuck exhaled before the doors opened showing the faces of Artman, Gambino, Khaos, and Hollywood. After escorting Chuck and Hailey out, David stood behind them.

David: "Chuck and Hailey will do their thing, I want a pair of eyes on them at all times. Since we're at an electronics store, it'll be a nice touch to re-stock our rooms with the essentials. Let's go to combat spread and remember to check six."

Hollywood: "Don't worry about anything Chuck, we're all gonna be here for you. So why don't you and the missus spend time in there with your co-workers."

Hailey wanted to pounce for that remark, but she didn't want to relinquish holding hands with Chuck. She just gave Hollywood an evil glare instead, telling him that payback's coming.

Khaos: "Just relax and keep calm, you'll be fine."

Gambino: "Oh just one more thing, here's the keys to the Herder."

Chuck: "Now I can guess that Casey and Sarah both will know I'm here, the Herder's fully downloaded with lots of CIA gadgets and trackers."

Artman: "Not anymore it's not, we'll explain later Chuck. Don't forget your wallet and phone, we completely removed every trace of monitoring."

Everyone looked at one another with a nod to get moving as they headed for the entrance of Buy More, the four men went in before David nodded to them and made his way inside. Hailey gave Chuck's hand a squeeze as they headed towards the Buy More. Chuck took a deep breath, feeling the nerves coming back unsure of what to expect. Hailey turned his head and gave him a soft tender kiss on the lips before leaning her forehead against his to look in his eyes.

Hailey: "For luck Chuck, and yes I know that's a Star Wars reference. You better close your mouth sweetie or you'll be catching flies."

Chuck quickly closed his mouth after getting the shock, he looked up at the big yellow lettered sign and whispered to himself 'Showtime'.

John Casey had double-checked and triple-checked everything he could find on his asset's new employer, what he found made him sick. The guy was squeaky clean much like Chuck. What made it worse was the man wasn't only extremely wealthy, but managed to give millions in donations to most of the well known charities. The resorts he owned were spread throughout the world, which could be an issue if he's sent to handle every single one. The only thing he could find to exploit was, Casino's a well known poker player and has no problems with the high stakes. He knew the time to report back to Beckman and Graham was approaching, when he heard a little commotion and looked up to see Chuck had just walked into the Buy More with another woman on his arm. He checked his phone and noticed the trackers were not working, this definitely was cause for an alarm. He quickly called Sarah to appraise her of the situation.

Sarah: "Walker secure, have you heard anything Casey?"

Casey: "Bartowski's here inside the Buy More in the company of some young female, it gets worse Walker. None of the trackers are operating, we need to alert the higher-ups. This could be a national security threat."

Sarah: "Wait a minute, you said a young woman's with him? It's probably that damn skank he picked up! How do you want to play this Casey?"

Casey: "Right now he's escorting her around, we can't just simply secure him without blowing our covers. We're gonna have to isolate him from her pretty fast, I suggest you drag him away from prying eyes to a secure location and impose on him the full wrath of his serious breach of protocol and not maintaining the contact he's ordered to with either of us."

Sarah: "That's what I had in mind, do you think we should grab her too under the guise of being a threat to national security?"

Casey: "That's the unknown, but considering Bartowski's our country's most important asset. We don't know who she is, could be just a regular civilian."

Sarah: "Who ever the hell she is, she's definitely a threat to us since it complicates our cover."

Chuck and Hailey approached the Nerd Herd kiosk seeing that it's occupied by Anna, she just finished up an invoice ticket for a customer before looking up to see the couple.

Anna: "Well hello Chucky, looking very spiffy in that outfit. Who's the lucky lady?"

Chuck: "This very lovely woman is Hailey Smith, she's the one that visited us back in March after our little crash on the beach."

Anna: "That's right, she came by because she wanted to purchase a couple of games and leave you her phone number. You're in the Navy if I remember."

Hailey: "That's correct Anna, it's been a while since I been here. Just wrapped up a six month sea deployment last month, and I've just been transferred out here."

Anna: "Well that's great news for you, don't be a stranger whenever you can visit us here."

Hailey: "Speaking of visiting, we'll be living in the San Diego area. We can always have weekend get togethers, Chuck will be glad to see his friends whenever there's no schedule conflicts."

Anna: "That's a great idea. Wait a second, you said you'll be living together in San Diego?"

Hailey: "Not in the same house silly, at least not yet. But we're going to be in the same area."

Big Mike chose that moment to come out of his office.

Big Mike: "Bartowski! I hear congratulations are in order for you, that's a pretty sweet gig you scored. We're sure gonna miss you around here."

Chuck: "Thank you Big Mike, I wanted to personally thank you for letting me work here for the last few years. Oh I almost forgot, here's the keys to Herder #3."

Big Mike: "Since you're leaving the flock, any suggestion on who should be a good replacement for you as the Nerd Herd Supervisor?"

Chuck: "Anna's the perfect choice sir. She's very proficient at her job and has outstanding customer service skills, that would certainly help. As a little extra bonus she can keep Jeff, Lester, and Morgan in line for you."

Big Mike: "Well that's a definite plus in my book. Guess that means you can go empty your locker. You're a good man Chuck Bartowski, if anybody deserves a chance for something better it's definitely you. Now don't be a stranger, come by whenever you can."

Chuck: "Don't worry Big Mike, where else would I go to get my games and software? Besides, this place has been great to me and I enjoyed working here."

Big Mike: "Now that business is concluded, who's the lovely woman you have on your arm here? She looks familiar to me, but I can't place it."

Hailey: "Nice to see you again Mr. Tucker, I'm Hailey. Chuck and me met back in March, and I came here to see him before I had to leave the next day."

Big Mike: "Of course! You came by to visit him because you were leaving back to head back east, you're that Navy girl he talked about. That was seven months ago!"

Hailey: "Yes it was a long time ago, or so it seemed. Being at sea for six months will do that. I just relocated out here, and was surprised to run into him when he was working on that emergency overnight job for my uncle."

Big Mike's eyes went wide in shock at this information because of the name that was on the work order and the name of the location, could this be real? Chuck really did strike it rich!

Big Mike: "Your uncle's A.J. Casino? The multi-billionaire A.J. Casino? The owner of the New Millennium Paradise Resort chain? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hailey: "He's not my blood-related uncle, more like an adopted one. Me and my sister have known him for most of our life, He's been friends with my family close to 15 years."

Big Mike: "Wow, I got to say you're one lucky lady in more ways than one. You won't find another guy that's a fine gentleman other than Chuck."

Hailey: "Thank you Mr. Tucker, he definitely deserves more happiness than what he's been through."

Big Mike: "I guess that means you and Blondie broke up?"

Chuck: "Our relationship's very complicated. She has severe trust issues, which you know me enough that I can't be with someone who doesn't want to be openly honest with me. In the end, I screwed up and let a great girl slip through my fingers."

Hailey: "You most certainly did, but this time since you found her again. She's gonna keep a firm grip on you to make sure it doesn't happen again, even if it means handcuffs."

Big Mike and Chuck both looked wide-eyed at Hailey, she was sporting that smile on her face and the twinkling mischief in her eyes. She reached up and kissed Chuck's cheek making Big Mike bust out in laughter.

Big Mike: "Oh I like her Chuck, she's definitely a pistol that'll keep you on your toes. Well as much as I enjoy this, I have work to do. Good luck to you both."

Casey and Sarah watched them covertly from across the aisle, Chuck's behavior was definitely rubbing them the wrong way. Casey's observation of the geek saw an improvement in his asset, not just from the wardrobe with the new clothing and new haircut, but he appeared to have a little bit more confidence and he carried himself a little more straighter. Maybe this woman by his side something had to do with it. The matching color of their clothes spoke volumes and their mannerisms showcased an extreme closeness that comes from having a real connection, something the moron only got on cover dates with Walker.

Meanwhile, Sarah was seething as one of her hands started to head for where she kept her knives. She was watching Chuck literally destroy their cover in front of his co-workers. By showing up at Buy More with this woman, where their cover was fully established. Now it appears that not only he's moving on from the Buy More, but away from their cover. Beckman and Graham will not be happy once they've been informed of these findings.

They continued tracking Chuck's movements as they made their way towards the break room area, Casey and Sarah knew this was their chance to strike. Chuck whispered something into Hailey's ear as she nodded in understanding, she pointed at the DVD aisle to find something for them to watch later as he nodded before he went into the restricted area, the whole silent communication between the two of them raised even more red flags with Casey and Sarah.

Once inside the break room to empty out his locker, Morgan over-ecstatically jumped on to Chuck like a koala bear to a tree as he frantically tried peeling his best friend off of him. After double-checking to make sure the clothes Hailey picked out for him were fine, he looked at his best friend with a bewildered look on his face.

Chuck: "Morgan! What's the matter with you? You've got to relax before you give me a heart attack! What are you doing?"

Morgan: "Say it isn't so Chuck! You're leaving me here all alone, what am I going to do? You're going away and leaving us behind. We're hetero-sexual life partners man, just like Han and Chewy. You can't just abandon us like that!"

Chuck: "Whoa there Morgan, just take it easy and snap out of it little buddy. First, Han and Chewy as life partners is just so wrong! Yes they're best friends, but life mates? That goes beyond the scale of something even I don't want to imagine. The reason I'm leaving the Buy More's because of this once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm finally gonna be able to do what I've always wanted to do after the whole Stanford thing. With the money I look to be making from this job, it'll be more than enough to start up my own software company and ultimately create our own video games. Look at it this way Morgan, we'll be able to have online gaming nights almost every night. Just like we used to have and best of all, we're gonna have a bigger crowd."

Morgan: "Gaming nights? You mean you'd still have time for me, even though you're going away for a month? Is this for real and what do you mean a bigger crowd?"

Chuck: "Why wouldn't it be real? I know we didn't get much time together for gaming nights when Sarah came along, plus you know that all of us have to work. Besides that, I met someone down there. If you want me to buddy, I can introduce you to her."

Morgan: "Really? That's sweet dude! I can't wait to meet her."

Chuck: "Actually you have met her once, back in March when she stopped by to see me and wanted to get a couple of games. Black hair with beautiful blue eyes and a Navy girl."

Morgan: "You mean the one who dissed 'COD' and tried to convert us to "Rainbow Six'?"

Chuck: "That's the one buddy. You know she's into gaming and I also found out from her friends that accepted me into their group, they have a gamefest every weekend."

Morgan: "Gamefest huh? What kind of system do they play on?"

Chuck: "They have Xbox360, PS2, SNES, Sega Genesis, N64, NES, and even an Atari 2600! I was blown away when they showed me their game room. Where they live, I got to tell you Morgan it was huge and the game room where everything is made me jealous in a good way."

Morgan: "Are you freaking kidding me! That's totally awesome dude! You know what, I think we can let her slide on the whole 'COD' thing. She's definitely higher on my approval list than Sarah, at least for right now. She still has to go through the 'Evening With Morgan' and a couple other tests for me to give my full seal of approval, but the gaming aspect rates high. I gotta get back to work buddy, text me later!"

Chuck was glad to see Morgan's feeling better about his departure from the Buy More. After he finished up cleaning out the locker and closed it for the last time, he turned and found himself staring into the very cold angry eyes of John Casey and Sarah Walker. If looks could kill, Chuck would be vaporized twenty times of easily.


	10. Chapter 10

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 10: SMACKDOWN SHOWDOWN (PART 1)

BURBANK BUY MORE / BURBANK, CA

Casey grabbed Chuck roughly by the arm, marching him out of the break room with a strong vice-grip that's definitely cutting off circulation. Once they emerged from the back, they headed straight for the Home Theatre Room with Sarah walking ahead of them. Hailey looked up from where her spot and saw Chuck being forced to another area, she quickly scanned the area and spotted Hollywood. She signaled him with her eyes to alert him, he followed the movement and spotted the trouble and gave a 'thumbs-up' as she moved to intercept Chuck and company. Hollywood moved closer to stay out of sight while tracking their movements, he quickly sent a group text to the others inside Buy More to alert them. He waited to see what happened next before getting involved, Hailey emerged from an aisle blocking their path that made Casey and Sarah stop in their tracks. Both agents knew it was decision time.

Hailey: "Hey sweetheart, you get everything taken care of and your locker cleaned out?"

Chuck: "I sure did, and it looks like we're about to take another trip."

Hailey: "Who's your friends Chuck? I see he works here from the uniform, although why's he holding your arm so tight? You know that's grounds for assault, not only would that get him fired but arrested as well. Now as for Blondie here, why would she be leading you away somewhere with Johnny Boy forcing you to comply? Care to enlighten me sweetie?"

Casey was caught and he knew it. She called him out for being a co-worker and assaulting Chuck, she could very easily cause a scene by yelling for help in which the whole store would know and blow their covers sky high. Sarah on the other hand realized something when she looked into the eyes of this woman, stormy dark blue and ice cold. A quick scan of her posture told her this woman's ready to fight, she had a nagging feeling that the cover with Chuck was destroyed because of this mystery woman and deemed her a threat to national security. Chuck was compromised and needed to be relocated from here, the greater good must be protected.

Sarah: "I don't know who the hell you are, but Chuck's not going anywhere with you anymore! Now get the hell out of our way!"

Hailey: "Oh so this must be Sarah, you're supposed to be Chuck's girlfriend? Well I hate to break it to you lady, but Chuck's not going anywhere with either of you. Especially, if he doesn't want to Blondie. I told you before that your days of treating him like dirt are over, and now that we're face-to-face instead of on a phone. We can settle it right now!"

Sarah: "I'm warning you Skank. Move out of our way, or else you're gonna be in trouble!"

Hailey: "It's too late for that because I'm not moving! If you want to move me, you're gonna have to do it yourself. I don't think you can, Miss Plastic Barbie-Doll Witch!"

That was the last straw for Sarah, she thrown a hard right-haymaker aimed at Hailey's head. She would show this girl you don't mess with the "Wild Card Enforcer". Hailey saw the blow coming easily, she side-stepped it and used Sarah's momentum along with a left-hook to spin her around and snatched her up in a very deep rear-naked chokehold cutting off the air. Sarah was struggling to break free, her vision started getting blurry. Sarah tried throwing an elbow in her weakened state that missed it's target, Hailey trapped the arm and locking her hands before she pulled back locking Sarah into the painful crossface-chickenwing.

Sarah couldn't believe what's happening to her, this woman had taken her down with ease! The 'Wild Card Enforcer' is being humiliated! Nobody does that to her! Those were the thoughts running through her mind as she laid there helpless in tremendous pain, feeling her left arm and shoulder being wrenched on the verge of popping out of socket. Casey had to act fast, he shoved Chuck away to save his partner. Chuck hit the floor with a thud and watched helpessly as Casey punted Hailey in the side of her head to knock her out! He quickly checked on Sarah before scooping Hailey up over his shoulder to carry her into the Home Theatre Room.

Once he scrambled to his feet, Chuck started after him before Sarah swept him back off his feet and grabbed his arm while he was stunned. She wrenched it up in a hammerlock to hold Chuck in place before she made him get back to his feet and marched him into the Home Theatre room. Sarah shoved Chuck towards Casey, who roughly thrown Chuck down on to the sofa and folded his arms across his chest glaring at him while Sarah closed the curtains and locked the door. Chuck looked around and found Hailey stretched out on another sofa, he went to get up and check on her but was pushed back down by Sarah. He looked up at her and saw Sarah's face was filled with raging anger and hands placed on her hips looking ready to erupt.

Chuck: "You two can at least have the decency to let me check on her, and make sure she's still alive!"

Sarah: "Shut up Chuck! You're in enough trouble as it is!"

It's really pathetic that people he just met showed more care and sympathy towards him than his two handlers that were sent to protect him...Scratch that, sent to protect their precious Intersect he thought bitterly. Chuck started forward again when he was shoved again before Casey angrily roared at him.

Casey: "What the hell did you think you were doing Moron! You know damn well you're not authorized to go anywhere, especially without me or Walker because of that databank inside that idiot skull of your's!"

Chuck: "Damn it Casey, you knew exactly where I was, even without me wearing that cursed watch! You've got the GPS tracker in the Nerd Herder, you knew I was at my beach spot having a moment of peace from all of this crap that got forced into my life! I was the on-call Nerd Herder last night, there's a computer emergency I had to take care of! Did you even bother to check the Buy More system, or you forget to use your brain on that one?"

Casey punched Chuck hard in the stomach for that doubling him over then face-palmed him back to the sofa, Sarah chose that moment to interject her thoughts as well.

Sarah: "What about you intentionally ignoring my phone calls Chuck! I called you four damn times and you never answered me once, that goes against protocol and you know it! What if something happened to you? Neither Casey or me were around you to protect you, what's going on inside that head of your's? We thought you'd been kidnapped or killed! You're the Intersect for crying out loud, you're far too valuable to be risked in such a stupid situation without Casey or me to protect you! These people you've associated yourself with has Graham spooked, they're a threat to national security!"

Chuck: "You're right of course, it's always about the Intersect."

Sarah: "No Chuck, it's not about that at all."

Chuck: "Yes it's always like that Agent Walker! All you care about is your damn precious Intersect. It's always the computer that got shoved into my head you worry about, and never about me! To your bosses and the both of you, I'm just a skin-covered computer that's treated like a machine instead of a human being!"

Sarah: "How come you never answered your phone everytime I called you? I can't protect you if I'm not with you at all!"

Chuck: "I wanted some space to think about things, without having you or Casey hovering over my shoulder. Has it ever occurred to you that I'm sick and tired of having absolutely no say when it comes to my life? Somebody else always think they know what's in my best interests! They make the choices to suit them best claiming it's better for me, without even asking me for my thoughts on the matter! How do I know that you both are really here for just me?"

Sarah: "It's true that you're in a unique position. I've always looked out for you, whether you believe it or not Chuck. So far, I've been the only one that's been convincing Beckman and Graham not to put you in a bunker. I've asked you before to trust me, and I still need you to."

Chuck hears the word trust and that pushes his button.

Chuck: "What you're talking about is a one way street, so why should I trust you Sarah? You're job makes you constantly lie to people, how about for once you trust me instead? Look, I know that you need to keep things about yourself private and I respect that. Truth is you don't seem to trust me, or give a damn about my well being. When I asked about your relationship with Bryce, you looked me straight in the eyes and lied to me. You could've at least told me the real nature of your relationship with Bryce freakin' Larkin, especially after knowing damn well what that rat bastard did to me at Stanford!"

Sarah reacted with a hard right hook punch to the left side of Chuck's face knocking him to the floor. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands in shock, she just assaulted her asset that she's sworn to protect. Sarah moved slowly to check his face, but Chuck wanted none of it. He looked over at Hailey's prone figure and felt something burning inside him, something that he's never felt before. He made it up to his feet and looked back to his handlers, speaking with a coldness in his voice they never heard before.

Chuck: "You want to know why I never answered your calls? Because I was driving, do the math for crying out loud! It's a four hour drive to where the job was, unlike you two I'm not going to answer the phone driving down a heavily-travelled interstate! Besides, it's against the law in California to be on the phone while you're driving. Oh that's right, I seemed to forget that it's never ever stopped either of you before. Courtesy of your federal badges, whereas I'm not quite so lucky!"

Casey: "You finished crying yet moron? It's our job to protect you and monitor your location 24/7. If you don't like it, that's too damn bad! We're under orders to maintain your complete protection because of what you're carrying inside your noggin, so suck it up numbnuts!"

Chuck: "Orders can change anytime Casey. You know both of your masters can't wait to throw me into a hole in the ground, or put a bullet through my head! You've also just assaulted an innocent person, that's only involved with me as a good friend! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to check on her to make sure she's okay since neither one of you even bothered to check!"

Casey grabbed him by the throat and drove him back down into the couch, he growled menacingly while tightening his grip.

Casey: "Look here you troublesome geek! You're not going anywhere until you have a chat with the bosses, even then after they say so! You've caused a lot of trouble today..."

Without warning to Casey or even Sarah, Chuck out of desperation did the only thing he could think of to get out of his situation. Chuck closed his eyes feeling the grip tighten before using all of his strength and kicked up with his leg hitting his intended target, Casey instantly released Chuck as he crumpled to the floor in tremendous pain. Sarah was frozen in shock at what happened giving Chuck the chance to run, Casey through clenched teeth told Sarah.

Casey: "Don't just stand there Walker, grab the moron!"

Chuck runs into the door forgetting it's locked allowing Sarah time to close, he unlocked it just in time to meet Hollywood standing to the side of the door. The collision dropped them both to the floor as Sarah dragged Chuck back inside leaving Hollywood outside dazed. After locking the door again, she places Chuck in a hammerlock to immobilize him.

Chuck: "Let go of me Sarah, you're breaking my arm!"

Sarah: "Sorry Chuck, I can't do that. Not until we finish our chat! Now let's go, we're going to straighten this out once and for all. You've got a lot of explaining to do to Beckman and Graham, especially when it comes to your new friends. What the hell's wrong with you? You've never acted like this before towards us, and you're the last person I could ever imagine getting physical with Casey like you just did."

Chuck knew there's no chance to escape a pissed off Sarah Walker. He could always try to smash the back of his head into her face, not only would it be something she wouldn't expect from him until now after witnessing him kicking Casey between the legs in desperation of escape. He also knew that under no circumstances, especially one such as this would he ever strike a woman no matter what. He was stuck until he realized Hollywood's right at the crack under the door and could see Chuck's mouth moving, he leaned closer to hear Chuck whisper.

Chuck: "She's gone mad, please help me Hollywood."

Hollywood gave a nod then stood up and gripped the door with a firm grip, he yanked back with his strength to open the door breaking the lock off, Sarah noticed the breeze as the door opened and saw a huge shadow covering both her and Chuck.

Hollywood: "Ma'am, it's in your best interest to release your hold on Chuck. Otherwise, the consequences will be most severe Agent Walker!"

Chuck and Sarah looked up seeing a well dressed man in a casual business suit flanked by three massive men wearing muscle shirts and sweatpants. They looked down to see Chuck on the ground with a blonde behind him and Hollywood in a crouch, scanning the room they spot Hailey laid out on one of the couches. They knew that something's wrong.

Artman: "Hey Chuck, surprised to see us so soon?"

Chuck: "Actually yes, considering all the stuff we came here to get."

Gambino: "Sorry about that Chuck, we forgot to tell you that we know our way around these kind of stores. The Buy More website has the layout of every store, so you know where every section's located. That especially includes the Home Theatre Room."

Khaos: "How come you and this lady are down on the floor here?"

Sarah was at a crossroads. Either let his arm free, or blow her cover by not releasing him. Once she let him go, he was helped to his feet by Hollywood. Chuck raced over to check on Hailey while keeping their eyes on Sarah.

Chuck: "I had a run in with Hollywood literally, we hit the floor hard and my girlfriend Sarah there was making sure I was okay."

Hollywood retorted sarcastically glaring at Chuck.

Hollywood: "Yeah I'm fine, thanks for asking Chuck."

After revealing who the blonde woman to his friends, they knew she's his CIA handler. Upon a closer inspection, they noticed the bruises on his face and around his throat made obviously by a huge hand. Everyone exchanged looks in front of Sarah, making her very guarded trying to get a read on the threat to her asset. Sarah certainly hated surprises and not knowing who the mystery men were was definitely another surprise. They might be the reason for Chuck's sudden rebelliousness, she can't wait to tear into Chuck later. However, there's another matter at hand as one of them saw the girl on the couch before turning back with his eyes cold as ice. The same pair of eyes when she confronted that girl, Sarah realized this man was about to explode.

David: "Chuck, do you know what happened to Hailey?"

Sarah: "Hailey? That's the name of the girl you're cheating on me with Chuck!"

Hollywood stepped close in hissed in Sarah's ear in a very low menacing voice.

Hollywood: "Hailey's the lady we know you saw accompany Chuck around the store. You know, the one that refused to back down when you and your partner tried to 'snatch and grab' Chuck. By the way, she also kicked your six and would've ripped your shoulder out of socket until your partner knocked her out."

Sarah gasped in shock, apparently this man saw the whole incident where her and Casey both assaulted Chuck along with his new girl. Their covers are blown to these few men, it's time to get the Intersect out of Burbank. Hollywood jerked his thumb to point out David to her.

Hollywood: "You see that man right here that's ready to go Cujo on your six? That girl you assaulted isn't an ordinary civilian, she's an American Naval Aviator and his daughter!"

Sarah felt the shivering chill of fear at the look in his eyes, even the most hardened assassins didn't show this level of coldness. Suddenly, his eyes shifted towards the other couch. Everyone looked to see Casey coming around with an angry look on his face, Sarah immediately helped him to his feet and outside the Home Theatre Room. She knew they had to escape or get flattened by Chuck's new friends, once Casey got the cobwebs cleared and looked back at the room he started to head back that way despite the odds. Sarah latched on to him and explained what she learned, also to save Casey from what would be a massive beating.

Sarah: "Casey, now's not the time to approach Chuck. We're out numbered and those guys know who we are, we need to get out of here immediately."

Casey: "Are you crazy Walker? Bartowski's surrounded by five men and they don't look like some regular Johnny Come Lately's! He needs to be relocated for the safety of this country!"

Sarah: "There's more issues than just Chuck, that girl we encountered isn't a normal civilian. In fact, she's an American Naval Aviator and the guy that's being held back from striking us down is her father. I don't know who he is Casey, but his eyes tell me there's more to him instead of just being an over-protective father. Beckman and Graham need to be told."

Casey reluctantly let Sarah lead him away towards the exits while David followed them with his eyes, a couple of the Buy Morians started to gather around the area out of curiousity wondering what's going on. David noticed the crowd and quickly issued orders.

David: "Chuck, can you please get Hailey some ice? She needs it to help reduce any swelling from any bumps she's taken. Hollywood, we need to secure the perimeter here and distract the bystanders. We don't need to the added distractions."

Hollywood: "You got it Boss."

Hollywood and the others navigated the Buy Morians away from the scene as a cover to purchase some items. Chuck returned inside the room to check on Hailey, he sat down next to where she's laying on the sofa. David took the bag of ice and carefully pressed it to her head, Chuck gently placed his hands on her cheeks to help keep her still. He felt her lean into his touch and taking a deep breath before murmuring his name in a long sleepy drawl.

Hailey: "Mmm...Chuuuuuck..."

Chuck: "I'm still here sweetheart, are you okay?"

Hailey heard his voice and became more alert, she slowly opened her eyes to blink away the cobwebs until her vision was clear enough to see his face with the worry in his eyes. She used his hands to help sit up before wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him in place cheek-to-cheek as he slowly rubbed circles on her back.

Hailey: "Oh Chuck, I was so worried about you. I saw those two were trying to force you away somewhere, I did my best to prevent them from abducting you."

Chuck: "I'm still here. I was more worried about you after seeing Casey knock you out, thank goodness we didn't come here alone. If Hollywood didn't prevent Sarah from taking me away, I hate to think what could've happened. They probably would've thrown me into an underground bunker and probably isolated you in some kind of holding cell."

David: "If they did any of that, your handlers and their bosses would be facing the wrath of more than just me and the rest of our friends. They would also incur the wrath of my boss, he's definitely not someone those two want to mess with. Especially if they want to remain above ground, and continue to be the pride of their organizations. We need to visit Chuck's family to share the news I uncovered in regards to Stanford, but we can abort that mission if you want to given what's happened."

Hailey: "Chuck needs to see his family and I know you well enough to know, the news you want to share is something that can't stay on the back burner any longer. If it's that important to Chuck, then it's equally important to me. Besides, it's gonna take more than a little bump on the head from an ape to miss something of this magnitude to Chuck. I'm your daughter after all, which means I'm just as hard-headed and stubborn plus I have Mom's fiesty attitude."

David: "That's what I was afraid of, but we're gonna let Chuck's sister at least check you over before we leave there. No arguments young lady, consider it a direct order."

Hailey nodded reluctantly in agreement, since she had no choice on two accounts. Not only was he her father, but because of her career it made him one of her superior officers. It's a rare moment like this she wished for a different career in life, she quickly banished that thought from her mind. She loved her family dearly and was blessed to have a fantastic career at this point, but a special added bonus was meeting and loving one Chuck Bartowski.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Casey and Sarah were inside Casey's apartment to give Beckman and Graham the latest update briefing, they knew things were about to get messy. After replaying the surveillance footage from the Buy More security cameras, they immediately grew concerned at the strategic placement of everyone involved with Chuck's new friends when they entered the store all the way to the Home Theatre incident when all of them converged to prevent Chuck's removal.

Beckman: "Agents, have you been able to regain control of the asset since our last briefing?"

Casey: "Not exactly ma'am, we've encountered a major problem. I've attained the footage from the Buy More, it appears the asset's aligned himself with some very dangerous people. They had every angle covered in case we captured Bartowski. We under estimated this threat and it cost us, we managed to separate the asset from his companion when he went to the break room at that time. Once we captured him, we'd have him detained in the Home Theatre room until you decided what to do with him as we've planned out. Unfortunately, the plan was thwarted when his lady friend confronted us."

They showed the footage of the entire time during the briefing in a smaller window. Watching the way Hailey controlled the fight against Sarah until Casey delivered the punted to the side of Hailey's head to gain control, watching the footage again of her humiliating defeat had further infuriated Sarah as Graham and Beckman couldn't contain their surprise.

Graham: "Agent Walker, I'm completely shocked at the ease of which this woman had beaten you. The techniques she used isn't something we teach, it's obvious that she's well trained."

Sarah: "Yes sir, she most certainly is. You can also see the asset had taken out Agent Casey."

Beckman: "Stop right there Agent Walker, did you say the asset had taken down Major Casey?"

Casey: "I wouldn't really say he took me out, it's more like he tried making me a choir boy again with a higher voice pitch."

Graham: "I can't believe it Casey, you got kicked in the groin by Bartowski? Obviously, you're hurting in more areas than just the family jewels."

Sarah: "I managed to capture the asset after a collision with one of the threats. By that time their reinforcements arrived before I could escape with the asset, I also came across a vital piece of information. Bartowski's female companion's a fighter pilot with the Navy, it gets worse from there I'm afraid. The man in the suit you see poised to strike after we retreated from the room, is her father. I saw the look in his eyes, and it sent chills down my spine. It's obvious that if I didn't get Casey away, he probably could've killed him and possibly me."

The picture zoomed in on David's profile. Beckman doesn't look impressed as usual, but Graham's another story. After putting on his glasses to get a good look, he looked spooked.

Graham: "It can't be him, it just can't be."

He slowly removed them to sit back down on the corner of Beckman's desk, his face looked like he'd seen a nightmare or a ghost. Casey and Sarah exchanged looks, a scared Graham was indeed extremely bad news. Who were these people their asset come across to scare the Director of the CIA? Beckman looked up at Graham and snarled.

Beckman: "Graham, what's the matter with you! This man's nobody to be concerned with, just an over-protective father and Agent Walker is just imagining things! We need to find the Intersect and relocate him to an underground bunker, this has gone on far too long! Bartowski's a threat to national security now, it's time to plug this leak!"

Graham: "Diane, you're very sadly mistaken. Agent Walker's assessment is spot-on, I can easily back up her story on what she saw. The man she saved Agent Casey from, and yes Casey she did indeed save your life no matter what you think. Not only did he receive training as a Sniper by a legendary retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, he's been on numerous operations with Force Recon and Navy SEALS, a decorated fighter pilot for the Navy, also ran several operations for the CIA. He'd been a Field Agent without any of our training, he's that good. Have you ever heard of a CIA legend called 'Ghost'? From the reports I read, this man right here is the most dangerous man in our possession and he's on our side. If you pissed him off, like what you said Sarah. You better grab Bartowski, get on the first flight out of there, and disappear into the darkest hole you can find. Otherwise, you two will become stars on the wall once he finds you."

Casey: "What's his name sir? I tried to run his picture through every known database in our government and there's no trace at all, it's like he doesn't exist. If it did, we obviously don't have high enough clearance for it."

Graham: "His name is one you will never forget, it's..."

The line was disconnected which came to a surprise to Casey and Sarah, they watched the monitor the entire time and Beckman's finger never came close to the button to end things. Casey tried to bring back the conference and had no luck, the signal feed was dead. The screen turned back on showing an old 80's video when a catchy tune starts playing, then words are seen scrolling across the bottom of the screen "I always feel like, somebody's watching me" over and over when the song lyric comes back around. Sarah immediately turned off the whole system before Casey did anything drastic, such as shooting the screen.

Casey: "It's obvious that someone's playing games with us, if they can jam our communications and tap into our system to taunt us. We might've bitten off more than we chew, we've got to get Bartowksi out of here and into lockdown."

Sarah: "You know Chuck won't come quietly, especially if it means he won't possibly see Ellie ever again. It's going to be a small price to pay, but this national security threat is very real."


	11. Chapter 11

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 11: SMACKDOWN SHOWDOWN (PART 2)

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

The limosuine parked a few feet down the road to remain out of sight as Chuck looked towards the apartment complex noticing that his sister's car was there along with Casey's Crown Victoria and Sarah's Porsche, he knew sooner or later they'd be there and have to deal with them. His thoughts were broken out by Casino, who noticed Chuck's nervousness and reassured him.

Casino: "Don't worry Chuck, your handlers don't know you're here. Team 2's already taken care of the situation, so you and Hailey can have a pleasant visit with your sister to let her know about your big news about working for me."

Chuck: "How did they take care of it?"

The door opened as Wildfire and Maverick joined them, Chuck noticed they're dressed as exterminators. This was something he didn't expect, and wanted to hear the story behind it.

Wildfire: "Someone placed a call to the building owner, saying they found some big creepy crawlers scurrying around. So they decided to have the whole complex fumigated, some of the tenants were not happy to find the notice. At the very least, they don't have to worry about it later in the year when the crawlers really do come out to play."

Maverick: "The whole complex was wired so much, you'd think there's a new radio station in town without the huge transmitter tower. Speaking of fumigation, we found around 100 critters inside your sister's apartment alone. It's like Chuck said, the bathroom and his sister's bedroom were the only places that wasn't touched. You know what that means?"

David: "Direct violation of Executive Order 12333, what about Agent Casey's apartment?"

Wildfire: "Has a very impressive cache of weapons, plus we've seen the monitoring system and had some fun with him."

Maverick: "They're in the middle of a briefing with Graham and Beckman, they showed the footage of what happened at Buy More. Nice move Hailey, beautiful way to counter Walker into the choke and applied the chickenwing. That left shoulder's gonna be sore for a while. Graham turned white when he saw you were involved, the look of fear you instilled into Walker was a nice touch. Beckman didn't look impressed as usual, until Graham started listing your training resume. Before he could reveal your identity, let's just say they had a failure to communicate."

Wildfire: "They couldn't get the feed back up. Casey and Walker got treated to a classic, an old school music video that fit the situation perfectly."

Chuck: "Which song was that?"

Maverick: "I always feel like, somebody's watching me."

The laughter generally lifted Chuck's mood, he started to see the advice he was given about these guys were indeed correct. Cruel and unusual humor with a side of dark sarcasm. He softly glanced at Hailey, who rested her head on his shoulder relaxing. His biggest regret in his mind right now was he didn't meet any of them before Stanford, especially Hailey. He knew that him and Jill shared much of the same interests, she had a good heart but was easily manipulated as evidenced by falling for Bryce's charms and started dating him after she slept with him.

When he met Hailey and got to know her, the girl herself and not the career she had. It was many reasons why he felt attracted to her, he realized if they'd been together when the events of Stanford happened. She wouldn't have fallen into Bryce's bed, instead she would've supported him without hesitation and easily seen through Bryce's lies. Casino's voice shook him out of his thoughts and back to the present.

Casino: "Keep your eyes peeled, Chuck and Hailey's about to go meet with his sister. We're right here if you need us."

Chuck looked at Hailey giving her hand a squeeze, he knew at some point there's no avoiding Ellie. After the day he's already experienced, it was time to face the inquisition. They reached the door and looked into each other's eyes, the silent communication was sent and received both ways. After taking a moment, they finally entered the apartment finding both Ellie and Devon cuddled up on the sofa watching TV. Devon asked without looking away from the TV.

Devon: "What's up Chuckster?"

Chuck: "Hey you two, enjoying your day off?"

Ellie: "Immensely. You're home awfully early, everything okay?"

Chuck: "Now that's a loaded question, it's been a very crazy day so far."

He looked over to Hailey with a smile, which caused her to playfully smack him on the arm. Hearing the slapping contact caused Ellie and Devon both to look up and noticed that Chuck brought a female home with him. Ellie looked closer and noticed the bruises on his face, she went into "Mama-Bear Mode" immediately. Devon went into the kitchen to grab an ice pack, seconds later he was back while Ellie examined his face.

Chuck: "Can you first check Hailey, she took a blow to the side of the head that knocked her out for a while."

Ellie: "Devon will handle your friend. Now sit down while I look at you, what in the world happened to your face Chuck?"

Ellie examined him while Devon handed her the Ice pack to place on his face before tending to Hailey's bump, Chuck hissed at the cold contact from the ice. He looked over to Hailey seeing the concern in her eyes.

Chuck: "Nothing really Ellie, it's just Sarah and me had a fight. I said something she didn't like and her response was a hook to the face."

Devon: "Not awesome bro, who's your friend Chuck?"

Chuck adjusted to the cold seeped into his skin, he about to introduce Hailey when he caught Ellie's face. He knew what's coming in 3...2...1...Ellie went ballistic.

Ellie: "She did what! Chuck, She normally doesn't do this does she?"

Chuck shook his head no.

Ellie: "Well if that's the case, you must've done something to provoke her! What did you do Chuck, or does your friend here have something to do with it?"

Ellie looked very disappointed at him, Chuck was aghast at his sister. Sure he loved her dearly, but why does she act like he was at fault for everything that happened? He angrily slammed down the ice pack and roared back at Ellie.

Chuck: "Why are you so quick to cut me down? I love you very dearly Ellie, but every single time something happens to me you automatically point the finger at me saying I'm the one at fault!"

Ellie: "I'm sorry Chuck, I didn't think..."

Chuck cut her off, he was tired of being blamed for everything that happened to him. Yes he's often clumsy and a trouble magnet somewhat, but what irritated him the most about his sister was she still sees and treats him like he's still a child.

Chuck: "Damn right you didn't think! You never do Eleanor Faye! Do you really want to know why I never dated any of your friends the last couple of years? Because they all want someone they can control and mold into their perfect image! They like to be pushy, just like you have a major tendency to do! Speaking of that, I haven't been able to properly introduce you to Hailey since you started acting like a witch!"

Ellie was in shock, she couldn't believe that her sweet little baby brother Chuck would ever yell at her in a venomus tone. Devon tried talking to Chuck, seeing that Ellie was on the verge of breaking down into tears.

Devon: "Easy there bro and calm down, I'm sure Ellie didn't mean to anger you."

Chuck: "Sorry Captain, but I'm not going to calm down yet. Just for your information Ellie, Sarah's lied to me numerous times since the beginning! Her best friend was out here last weekend, she told me about one of the things Sarah mentioned on our first date ended up being a complete lie."

Devon: "That's not awesome at all bro, what did she lie about?"

Chuck: "Something from the past, no big deal really. At the end of the night, she asked me to trust her. That's where the main issue lies, Sarah's viewpoint of trust is a one-way street."

Devon: "Whoa, dishonesty is a relationship killer."

Chuck: "You know how much I value trust, especially after what I went through at Stanford. You both were at work last night, so I had to deal with all of that by myself. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her, I went to the beach to think like I normally do. She tried calling me four times."

Devon: "Did you ever answer?"

Chuck: "Are you kidding Devon? I wasn't in the mood to deal with anymore of the drama."

Ellie: "Why wouldn't you talk to her Chuck? You should at least hear her side of the story to give her the benefit of the doubt."

Chuck: "There's more to the story, that's if you care to hear about it."

Devon: "Ellie, just relax a little bit. Let Chuck finish telling us his dilemma."

Ellie didn't like the attitude from her brother, but she relented for Devon's sake. She could use some loving from him to make her feel better. Hailey on the other hand observed that Chuck wouldn't be calming down anytime soon, she really couldn't blame him as she watched the heated exchange between Chuck and his sister. She was in disbelief that this good-hearted man wasn't getting the benefit of the doubt by the most important person in his life, that Ellie was the one to keep making excuses for Sarah.

Hailey moved to stand up from the chair, after politely moving Devon's arm away from holding the ice to the side of her head where she felt the bump. She walked over to stand next to Chuck and gently turned his head to make him look into her eyes, Devon and Ellie both watched silently at the interaction between the two. Hailey softly pulled his head down to lean her forehead against his, Chuck instinctively wrapped his arms around her to hold her close soaking in the warm feelings she was invoking in him. He returned to his seat while Hailey sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him to ensure he stayed calm. Devon returned to sit down next Ellie for the same reason, Chuck silently thanked Devon before continuing.

Chuck: "The first time Sarah tried calling me, I looked down seeing it was her so I ignored it. Since my thoughts were elsewhere I wasn't pay attention to my surroundings. Seconds later I literally walked into these two guys knocking me to the ground, which isn't shock considering both of them are more muscular than Casey."

Hailey: "According to their last PT reports, Gambino's up from his traditional weight of 242 to 250 and Artman's down from 280 to 275."

Devon: "Whoa bro, sounds like some pretty heavy dudes."

Hailey: "They keep a strict training regiment, whether it's lifting weights or sparring. They've been doing this since I've known them and their friends, which is many years."

Chuck: "So now you know how I met them, you know what usually happens after that Ellie?"

Ellie: "Unfortunately yes. It's a bloody beating you suffer, which me and Devon have to treat."

Chuck: "Next thing I know, they pulled me up to my feet and asked if I was okay."

Hailey: "Well it helped that both of them were raised by strict families that instilled manners."

Chuck: "Here's the funny thing, once they realized who I was. They commented that for some reason everytime they see me, I'm flat on my back."

Ellie and Devon were a little confused while Hailey looked at him questioningly.

Hailey: "Did they really say that?"

Chuck: "Straight out of Gambino's mouth and Artman refreshed my memory of how we met."

Hailey: "I can't believe you forgot about that, maybe you did suffer some brain damage from hitting the sand."

Chuck had a wide-eyed look on his face and noticed that sparkling mischief in Hailey's eyes again, she was definitely feeling better than before. He wanted to get some payback.

Chuck: "Hey, that's not funny! I got ten years scared out of me from that football, it didn't help that I got ran over by 115lbs of flying beauty. I could've been seriously injured, if not broken in half from that impact!"

Hailey: "It's a small price to pay, $20 really. I enjoyed the landing much better."

Chuck: "What do you mean $20?"

Hailey: "I had my eyes on you from the start. I noticed you looked like you needed a friend, I bet Artman that he couldn't make it look like an innocent accident. Which's why you caught the ball and I stampeded you, Gambino informed me when we left that I should've gave him the money from the start. So yes, it's a small price to pay. You cost me $20, but the reward's much better."

Ellie and Devon seemed to take an interest in their by-play. They obviously knew each other more than they let on, and seemed to have a history. Why were they never told about this? Devon wanted to get back to the story, before Ellie could dig into their history.

Devon: "Back to the present story bro, what happened after they helped you to your feet?"

Ellie shot a glare at Devon, she wanted to know more and why didn't Chuck say anything about it? She would find out before the day's over.

Chuck: "They invited me down to this resort in San Diego one of their friends owns, I was the on-call Nerd Herder and would have to decline. Now comes the funny part, the resort placed a call for a computer problem so I followed them down there."

Ellie: "Wait a minute, your two new friends just happen to invite you to a resort and then you get an emergency call from the same place? That's very odd."

Hailey: "To be honest Ellie, the people who normally handle our computer systems are still on the East Coast doing upgrades on other locations."

Chuck: "Since they just relocated out here from the east coast as Hailey mentioned, they're in a bind to fix their systems. It's almost like Sarah, but their circumstances were different."

Ellie: "How so?"

Chuck: "Sarah moved out here on her own, to get away from D.C. while these guys and their colleagues were relocated out here due to the people they work for."

Ellie: "I can understand that part of it, why didn't you call me to let me know?"

Chuck: "Consideration for you Ellie. It nearly midnight when I finished up handling their computer issue, and I wasn't looking forward to the drive back. Especially, after I worked most of the day. The owner knew it's an extremely late, and it would be a four hour drive back here for me. He set it up for me to stay in one of the rooms there for safety reasons. Since I knew I wouldn't be driving back here, I joined them for some down time and met some of their friends."

Ellie: "How exactly does Hailey fit into all this?"

Hailey: "I fit into this very easily, now please let Chuck finish his story."

Ellie really started to loathe this girl. Hailey not only kept defending Chuck's actions and backed him up, but also changing the subject of conversation. Especially when she wanted answers to her questions. Normally, all she had to do was give her brother the "Ellie-Glare" with her hand on the hip and he would give in to her demands. However, this Hailey girl was messing up her plans. The other reason she wasn't fond of her was because she wasn't Sarah Walker, where is she anyways? Devon pulled Ellie back into him making her look in his direction as he silently pleaded with her to chill.

Chuck and Hailey both seen the slight change in posture with Ellie and Devon. They looked at one another as Hailey communicated silently with her eyes for him to continue, she started running her right hand through his new short hair. He enjoyed the feeling rushing through him for a second, that action definitely raised eyebrows with Ellie. Before she said a word, Chuck continued explaining things.

Chuck: "The owner's so impressed with my work that he offered me a job. I'd start with upgrading all the networks and security systems, I know all the rooms have HDTV's so those would need to be done. Because of everything, he needs me to design and build a system to integrate into these upgrades to give them a major increase of capacity room on their servers. With everything they handle plus the amount of guests they routinely get, the entire complex would need to be completely re-wired. This needs to be done at all four resorts in San Diego that he owns, I'm going to be working on this for the next month starting Monday. Which means that I will be based in San Diego, but that's just the start of it."

Devon: "Really bro? What could top that?"

Chuck: "Everything's covered by him personally, including room and board at all the resorts among other perks."

Devon: "You're working out of San Diego for the next month? Way to go bro, that's awesome!"

Ellie: "What other perks would there be Chuck? Is that where she comes in?"

Everyone else felt the edge in Ellie's voice when she asked that last part, the situation was starting to escalate back up into another fight. Chuck started talking with a little more edge in his voice, that definitely wasn't there since Hailey was by his side.

Chuck: "The other perks include a complete wardrobe upgrade. You know to look like an extreme professional, such as expensive suits. I'm also being provided with a brand new personal vehicle of my choice. Most of all to make sure I'm beyond well compensated, he's paying me a lot of money to do this job."

Devon: "Define well compensated Chuck? About $25,000 give or take for the work?"

Chuck: "Not quite Devon, it's more like $100,000 in cash."

Ellie and Devon sat there with mouths agape in shock, while Chuck had a smug look on his face. That definitely brought a smile to Hailey's face, after the cutting comments from Ellie. Unfortunately, Ellie regained her composure and tried to burst his bubble.

Ellie: "Come on Chuck, will you be serious here! Nobody's giving you $100,000 just to work on computers for a month at a resort, I thought you were being serious!"

Chuck: "I'm not joking at all. I even asked him why so much, and that I could never repay him for that amount of gratitude. He just simply said that because of my new friends, he trusts their judgement of character and they know about Stanford. Most of all, his exact words were simply because he could. From what I've been told, the money he's paying me is just pocket change."

Devon: "Seriously dude, your new friends helped you get this nice gig and you're going to be paid with cash?"

Chuck: "Well if you break it down, technically speaking it's $25,000 a week."

Ellie: "Wait a minute, you said they know about Stanford? How did that happen and more importantly why did you tell them?"

Chuck: "Ellie, I felt they deserved to know about my black mark. It's not easy getting a job as important as this, especially without someone doing a background check. I have nothing to hide, so we're talking with some more of their friends. I just felt so at ease with them enough to open up and tell them everything. Next thing I know we spend the next hour replaying over everything that happened, from Bryce framing me up through me getting expelled and the whole Jill thing. That's not all shockingly."

Devon: "What happened after that? Is that when you were offered the job?"

Chuck: "Well not right away, but that happened later. What happened next and trust me, it's awesome! One of the people I met there was David, who happens to be a lawyer and handles investigations. He mentioned from what happened, things didn't add up right and everything sounded fishy. He especially couldn't believe a thorough investigation wasn't done, Bryce's actions and Professor Fleming's word and boom out goes Bartowski. He actually went up there this morning to have a talk with Stanford."

Ellie: "What could he possibly do?"

Chuck was about to answer that question, but Hailey decided to really set things straight.

Hailey: "He'd find out the real truth, and put this whole matter behind Chuck once and for all. Whenever he's called to investigate anything, he not only looks at the evidence but goes over every single detail with a fine tooth comb making sure there's nothing missing. Every time one of his investigations end up in court, he gives 100% no matter the outcome as long as it's fair and justified. He's a very honorable man that seeks the truth and justice, not the kind that's only interested in winning at any cost. His very high connections with the government would be used to find out the true nature of why Chuck was kicked out unfairly, especially since he was never given a chance to appeal or afforded his right to due process. I promise you, the black mark will come off his record."

Chuck: "What Hailey says is true. He also offered me a government job if the black mark indeed comes off, but I have to finish up my degree and pass other tests."

Ellie: "What I'm curious to know is, how does she know so much about this?"

Chuck was about to warn Ellie to back down, but Hailey stopped him with a hand to his chest. That little signal told him that she would handle this, to prevent him from getting in trouble.

Hailey: "You really want to know where do I fit into all of this, and how come I know so much about what's going on with your brother? It's very simple really. The resort owner that offered Chuck the job, is my Uncle A.J.! As for the reason why I know so much about David, that I can speak about his character so well? Because he's my father! You know ever since Chuck and me stopped by, you've been doing nothing but throwing accusations at Chuck! That he screwed up something, so that you can't help yourself by blaming him! There's two sides to every story, and you've never once asked him for his side of it. Instead, it's what can you find to blame him for!"

Ellie looked stunned seeing the raging inferno in Hailey's eyes while defending Chuck, Devon's been smartly staying out of it while observing everything. He decided to change the subject.

Devon: "Sounds like you met the right kind of people that can change your life for the better Chuckster, I'm proud of you bro."

Ellie regained her composure after Hailey let her have it with both barrels while defending Chuck, she wanted to find out more about why Sarah isn't here with him.

Ellie: "So Chuck, tell us what happened between you and Sarah."

Chuck: "Well I returned to the Buy More with Hailey, because I basically turned in my notice to Big Mike. I went to clean out my locker, when Sarah and Casey were waiting for me. It was after that when everything went downhill so to speak. They told me that we needed to have a chat. When I told them I had things to take care of, that's when things got physical between us."

Ellie: "What do you mean things got physical? What trouble did you cause this time?"

Hailey couldn't believe that Ellie's back to blaming Chuck again, time to set the record straight."

Hailey: "Chuck didn't start any trouble! For your information, that big ape Casey grabbed Chuck by the arm and forced him to follow them for the chat they wanted! Both of them had anger in their eyes, and I knew it wasn't going to be good for Chuck. I did the only thing I could at the time, I blocked their path and asked them why they're so intent on dragging him away to who knows where. Your perfect friend Sarah, in no uncertain terms told me to get out of their way. When I refused to obey, it got a little physical with us."

Chuck: "Just so you know Ellie, Sarah threw the first punch and Hailey defended herself. That's right Ellie, Sarah was the one that threw the first punch! I know you heard me right so don't deny it. Anyway, Hailey took Sarah down to the ground and had her immoblized. Casey shoved me to the floor before he intervened, by punting her in the head! That's what knocked her out, and why she had that bump on her head for your information. He picked her and began carrying her to the Home Theatre Room. Once I caught up with them and went to check on Hailey, that's when I was shoved on to the sofa."

Devon: "What happened next bro?"

Chuck: "Sarah started yelling at me, because I ignored her calls. I told her that with everything going on, I just needed some space. She yelled at me saying that I needed to trust her, like she did on our first date. I called her out on it, since it's a one-way street when it suits her. That's when she punched me very hard."

Devon: "Totally not cool at all bro. Did she apologize?"

Chuck: "She was shocked at first and tried to check me over, but I wouldn't let her get close. Seeing Hailey laying on the other sofa, that really upset me more than Sarah punching me."

Ellie: "Chuck, please tell me you didn't think of returning the favor."

Chuck: "I was debating it, but I was more concerned about Hailey."

Ellie finally had enough and stood with glaring intensely at Chuck, with a hand on her hip and pointing a finger at Chuck. It's her infamous "Ellie-Glare".

Ellie: "Well you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place, especially if you answered Sarah's calls! Bringing her to the Buy More, where you know that your girlfriend visits often. That would do nothing more than start a fight. You brought this on yourself, and on Hailey, I can't believe you could do something so stupid! I thought I raised you better than that Charles Irving Bartowski!"

Chuck made sure he had Hailey secured in his arms, making sure he didn't dump her getting to his feet. She was instantly on her feet, standing by his side as he fired back.

Chuck: "I'm shocked at you Ellie! Blood's thicker than water, isn't what they say? I thought family's supposed to stick together? It certainly appears to all of us Ellie, you'd much rather have Sarah as your sister instead of me as your brother!"

Ellie: "That's not true Chuck! How can you think that?"

Chuck: "Because you sure in hell don't act like it Eleanor Faye! You've been taking Sarah's side, or at least defending her ever since I mentioned what happened. In your own happy little bubble world, Sarah's all too perfect and can't do no wrong. On the other hand, your 26 year old little baby brother just screws up one thing after another and can never do anything right!"

Ellie had tears streaming down her face, she couldn't believe what she's hearing from him. She was frantically trying to think, where did she go wrong with him?

Ellie: "What's happened to you Chuck? Ever since you've associated yourself with your new friends, especially this Hailey girl here. You haven't acted like yourself at all."

Chuck: "There you go again Ellie, turning things around and pointing that damn finger back at me. You didn't like me working at the Buy More, and you never liked any of my friends. You especially despise Morgan, even though he's been my best friend since we were kids!"

Ellie was about to protest, but Chuck cut her off since he knew she would deny it.

Chuck: "Don't insult me by saying it's not true Ellie, you'd only be lying to yourself. The facts say otherwise! You've never approved of anything in my life that's not to your liking, you refuse to let go of the fact I've grown up. I'm 26 years old for crying out loud, quit seeing and treating me like I'm 9 years old!"

Devon pulled Ellie back down to help calm her, knowing this was upsetting her big time. He knew one of these days that Chuck would stand up for himself, and finally tell Ellie he had enough. Considering the day Chuck's been through with the Buy More, confrontation with Sarah, and now getting read the riot act by Ellie. It would try even the patience of Job, he watched Hailey place herself in front of Chuck once again, her hands on both sides of his face whispering soothing words to calm him down. He doesn't know the nature of their relationship, yet he'd already noticed the positive effect she seemed to have on him. Chuck looked at Ellie, with obvious sadness in his voice.

Chuck: "Has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps for the first time in my life, I actually want to decide what goes on with my life instead of everybody else making the choice for me? Look Ellie, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I love you, but you need to quit being so pushy and assume the worst in me."

Devon: "Come on let's take a step outside, I think we could use some air."

Chuck put his hand in Hailey's and headed out the door, Devon kissed Ellie on the cheek and let her know things will be alright.

Devon: "Don't worry babe, I got this."

Ellie watched Devon follow her brother amd that Hailey girl outside, she wondered how long had Chuck felt like he's trapped and smothered. Perhaps it's time to move on.


	12. Chapter 12

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 12: SMACKDOWN SHOWDOWN (PART 3)

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Devon walked outside to chat with Chuck and Hailey seated at the fountain.

Devon: "What can I say you two, that was really intense back in there."

Hailey: "We're really sorry about all of this Devon. When we came here tonight, all Chuck really wanted to do was share the awesome news about his new employment and introduce you both to me. I had no idea this was gonna happen honestly."

Devon: "Don't worry about it, I can take care of Ellie. Talk to me Chuck, this is just us talking here."

Chuck: "I don't understand Ellie at all, it seems like she's refusing to relinquish control over my life. She practically raised me after Dad left, while trying to balance school and keep a roof over our heads. It's like she hasn't evolved mentally in how she sees me. To her, I'm still a helpless kid in her mind."

Hailey: "The reason for that Chuck is because like you said, it was basically her second job for many years when you were young. The whole being in control thing's like an addictive drug, it's an extremely bad habit that's nearly impossible to break once your mind's been conditioned to that thought process. It's just not with you and Ellie, believe it or not all siblings tend to have this issue depending on how early it starts. You're kind of lucky in a way Chuck, some people have been subjected to this longer than we've been alive."

Devon: "Would it help if I reason with her, try talking her out of being so motherly? She'll always be over-protective, because your Dad had asked her to look out for you. He did that the day you broke your Mom's necklace, that's what she confided in me when I first met you."

Chuck: "There's something else we didn't mention, because of all that's happened in there."

Devon: "What's that you two?"

Hailey: "Have you ever heard about a luxurious resort chain called New Millennium Paradise?"

Devon: "Yeah I have, my folks once stayed at one of their resorts during one of their trips. From what they told me, it's the best resort they've ever stayed at. Staff was always friendly and courteous, they kept their diners and kitchen open 24/7. Which is good, since they know you get those over night cravings. They have awesome weekend events on top of that, the owner was nothing like they expected."

Chuck: "Relaxed with a laid back attitude that makes you feel welcomed and if there's any issues, he wants you come to him personally and he will fix it?"

Devon: "Yeah, how did you know all about that bro?"

Chuck and Hailey just gave Devon a huge grin that basically told him the answer, Chuck decided to confirm it for him.

Chuck: "Devon…That's the place owned by Hailey's uncle."

Devon: "You're going to be working directly with New Millennium Paradise?"

Chuck: "Well it depends on how well my new boss likes my work, this month long job I'm doing is a trial run."

Hailey: "If Chuck meets his approval, which there's no doubt he will. He'd be signed as a contractor, where there's the possibility of extending his stay longer. He'd also be tasked to work on the other resorts. That's including, but not limited to the Gulf and East Coasts. Chuck could also could be tasked to on our other properties around the world!"

Chuck: "My time at the Buy More's officially over."

Devon: "Sounds totally awesome bro. You should do it and take of advantage of some down time, especially to get away from all the drama around here before your new job starts."

Chuck: "I whole-heartedly agree. Especially, since Sarah and Casey both are mad at me for earlier today."

Devon: "What's John got to do with this?"

Chuck: "I wasn't able to get to that part yet. Earlier before the incident with Sarah and after he already hit Hailey, me and Casey got into it. He was holding me down by the throat in the Home Theatre room, until I finally let him have it. I basically played football, and kicked him hard as I could splitting the uprights."

Devon: "Ouch! No way bro, kicking another man in ding-a-ling. That's totally not awesome"

Chuck: "He had it coming. Not just for kicking Hailey's head, but for choking me as well."

Devon: "It's awesome the way you stood up for yourself, even more so that you did for Hailey. What's going on with you two anyways, are you together?"

Chuck and Hailey exchanged looks, they joined hands before leaning in kissing each other on the lips. Their foreheads were touching to maintain more of a connection before they turned to face Devon, who had a grin on his face.

Hailey: "We'd been in a long distance type of relationship since we met back in March."

Devon: "So how did you guys really meet?"

Hailey: "You heard earlier about the whole football thing, with him getting run over?"

Devon: "Yeah I did, me and Ellie thought it was funny with the way you too were going."

Hailey: "That's really how we met. I landed right on top of him, and those guys plus four other friends were right there laughing at the scene. Anyways, once I had to let him back up we had talked and he gave me his card because I had to leave. The next day, I visited him at Buy More to get a couple of games and give him my contact information because I had to be home the next day. I was living in the Virginia Beach area, but my career had me overseas for six months until Labor Day Weekend. That's when Chuck had taken a two week vacation, so we could spend time together and I showed him around. Everything was great until his birthday."

Chuck: "At that point, we're talking about a future together. Despite the black mark on my record. The relationship we had was strong, I was starting to feel like myself before the Stanford debacle. Hailey's been my light in the dark tunnel I'd been stuck in, that's all before everything broke down last month."

Devon: "That's when Sarah showed up and you started dating. If you two were that serious, why did things end all of a sudden?"

Chuck: "Now that's a very complicated matter, I thought I was doing the right thing by stopping the communication when Sarah first came here. I figured she was better off without me."

Hailey: "You thought I would be, but I knew better than that. Not after everything we'd been through, I had that nagging feeling that something happened to you. It wasn't like you to end things like you did, that's not the type of person you are Chuck."

Devon: "Whoa, that's some heavy stuff there."

Hailey: "Devon, how complicated is Chuck's relationship with Sarah? Why's Ellie so obsessed with their relationship?"

Devon: "Everytime he's here, Ellie keeps pushing him to make the relationship progress further than it is. When she keeps asking him why they're dragging their feet, that's the standard answer he keeps telling us. It's complicated. Sarah and her have become close. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that she thinks of her as a sister. Naturally, she wants to push it to where it gets serious enough to maybe get married someday. I'm thinking that's why she's being extremely pushy on Chuck to pick up the pace with Sarah."

Chuck: "Ellie thinks that all relationships should be like what you have, it's not that simple with Sarah. I keep telling her that Sarah wanted to take things slow, yet you know how Ellie is. She'll never listen and does what she wants. Plus you know the issues I have with Sarah."

Hailey: "The ignored phone calls didn't help, plus you're not about to answer driving at least three hours down the road. That's against the law in California as you know, factor in what he told you earlier about her trust issues. Do you now see why he wanted some space to relax?"

Devon: "That makes sense, but you still haven't answered my question."

Hailey: "I'm presenting you with a timeline and facts in the evidence to collaborate my case."

Chuck: "Sounds like to me that we're speaking with a lawyer, would you agree Devon?"

Devon: "Sure does bro, are you sure you're not a lawyer Hailey?"

Hailey playfully smacked Chuck on the arm, she turned her attention back to Devon.

Hailey: "Well my Dad's a lawyer, among other things. As I was saying, after Chuck ignored the phone calls from Sarah and enjoyed his down time meeting his new friends plus my parents. Oh did I forget to mention, that we ran into each other?"

Devon: "You never mentioned that part, but I can see that you did and why you're here now with him. Now what happened next with the phone calls?"

Hailey: Well before that, me and Chuck had a nice little private chat away from everyone to get things straight as you already know. I was able to convince him to see things my way, so we stayed together for the rest of the night and went back to the others.

Devon: "I'm with you so far, and that's when it happened?"

Hailey: "You guessed it. That's when Sarah called for the fifth time, things went differently because I handled the phone. Chuck would say hello and I handled the rest, telling Sarah to 'take a hike' with the way she's been treating him."

Chuck: "You should've heard the nickname she gave Sarah, I had to keep myself from laughing."

Devon: "I'm afraid to ask, but what did you call her?"

Hailey: "Nothing really, just said she's a 'Plastic Barbie-doll Witch.' that didn't deserve him."

Devon: "Ouch, you definitely didn't pull any punches. So what happened after that?"

Hailey: "We went to his room for the night to talk some more, nothing happened though because we had to get up early. Before we came up here, Mom brought me and my sister Jennifer along to meet Chuck to take him shopping for a complete wardrobe upgrade. During the two hour shopping spree, we talked of course to make up for lost time."

Devon: "With everything that happened earlier, it never crossed my mind and I'm sure that Ellie never noticed it either. Nice threads there bro and cool haircut too, looking at Hailey it's like you decided to look like a matched couple."

Hailey: "We took one of the private jets to fly back here. That way Chuck could tell you and Ellie in person about his new career, I asked to accompany him so we could making up for lost time. I already knew he's a great guy, and deserved to be happy after everything he's been through. Since yesterday, we grew back closer and re-strengthening our bond from our brief time back together. We're still making up for lost time."

Devon: "That's awesome, how far do you see this going?"

Hailey: "Let me put it this way. If he'd been in the same career as me, and he asked if I was with him. My answer would be 'to hell and back'. That means I would follow him through the gates of hell, and come back with him from there. We'd become so close that we could trust each other completely, knowing that we've got each other's back and would always be there for them. That's what creates a strong bond between two people."

Chuck: "She's right Devon, because I feel the same way about her."

Devon: "What kind of career do you have?"

Hailey: "I'm a 4th generation Naval Aviator. I was already in the area, that's when my parents arrived here with our friends. Like Chuck explained, we just relocated Monday."

Chuck: "Do me a favor and keep this between us. Ellie already knows I'm working in San Diego, she just doesn't know which one yet. If she finds out that crucial information, you know she's going to tell Sarah the instant she's here."

Devon: "You can count on me bro."

Devon and Chuck fist-bumped before heading back, Hailey stopped them at the door.

Hailey: "You go on ahead Chuck and get some things from your room packed, I'm sorry things didn't go as well with your sister as they should've. I really wanted her to be happy that you're moving on with a new life. Thank you Devon for being supportive of Chuck, I know Ellie means well and cares for him. She has to understand that he needs to do this and move on, even if it means in another city away from here."

Devon: "Hey it's no problem Hailey, I was really glad to meet you. Hope that things work out the way you both want them to, I already noticed the difference between you and Sarah when it comes to Chuck. You've been more open and honest with him today, then the past month or so that Sarah's been here."

Hailey headed to the limo as Devon and Chuck walked inside the apartment. Chuck went to his room while Devon settled back on the couch, he gave Ellie a kiss before wrapping his arms around her. Ellie immediately pounced on Devon, launching questions at him.

Ellie: "So what did he have to say for himself? Is he going to make up with Sarah? What did he talk to you about that he couldn't say in front of me?"

Devon: "Whoa whoa whoa, chill out on the inquisition babe. He needed someone he could talk to that would give him a fair trial, not someone who's already decided he's guilty of everything before the trial even begun. You go extremely overboard with handling him, I agree with Chuck. You're still treating him like a child, I know he wasn't in the frame of mind after what happened with Stanford and he was severely depressed. This job he's lined up is exactly what he needs to get himself back on his feet. Right now he's packing his bags to get away, from everything and everybody before that job starts. He deserves to have a peaceful and quiet weekend to relax."

Ellie: "He's leaving already? What about Sarah? She's his girlfriend for crying out loud! He needs to make things right with her, and forget about this Hailey girl!"

Devon: "That's why he's doing this. To get away from all of this drama before his new job starts. You're constantly nagging him and being overly pushy on things."

Ellie: "So where exactly would that be? Do you where he's going?"

Devon: "Somewhere relaxing. It's a secret babe, that's all I'm gonna saying."

Ellie: "So you know where he's going, but you're not gonna bother telling me?"

Devon: "Sorry babe. I'm not going to reveal his plans, all that'll do is ruin his weekend!"

Ellie: "Devon! He's my little brother, I have a right to know where he's going!"

Devon: "No you don't Ellie! Because the first moment Sarah shows up, you'll spill the beans and tell her where he is. That's another reason why he doesn't want you to know, you want to be in control of his life! Dictating what he can and can't do! You need to let it go Ellie! He's not a kid anymore, so quit treating him like one!"

Ellie: "I don't see him as a little kid! It's my job to watch out for him, because he needs to be protected! You know what kind of trouble he's always getting into!"

Chuck heard everything as he was walking back into the living room.

Chuck: "Sure you don't Ellie, you know Devon's right. I could be 40 years old and married with my own family, but you'd still view me as your screwed up helpless baby brother."

Ellie turned around seeing Chuck standing there with a duffle bag over his shoulder, she stood there crossing her arms and glared at him while tapping her foot. It's that look of 'You will tell me everything now!' that usually makes Chuck cave.

Ellie: "Where you going Chuck? I know you're in San Diego for the next month, don't you think you should tell Sarah? She's your girlfriend after all, not that Hailey girl!"

Chuck: "I'm leaving to get away from everything, including all the drama around here. Devon's right about Sarah. Arriving here to supposedly talk to me, you'd tell her everything because that's how you're wired. You need to get some help Ellie, in your mind you can't admit I've grown up. This month away will benefit the both of us, you need to let go of trying to mold me into the perfect little brother that measures up to your standards!"

Chuck opened up the door and was about to slam it when he stopped himself, sticking his head back inside figuring to at least leave a fitting message that's going to be delivered.

Chuck: "Oh by the way, there's one thing I can tell you and feel free to tell Sarah."

Ellie: "What's that Chuck?"

Chuck: "Where I'm going's need to know, and you or Sarah don't have the need to know!"

Chuck had a smirk on his face before walking out the door leaving a very mortified Eleanor Faye Bartowski behind, she looked back to Devon and saw him shake his head as he walked away. This wasn't how she expected her start towards the weekend would be. Chuck just can't be right about this, or can he?


	13. Chapter 13

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 13: SMACKDOWN SHOWDOWN (PART 4)

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Sarah and Casey were not happy people right now, being unable to regain control of their communications until a few minutes ago. Bringing up the communication with Beckman and Graham, he could see they were not pleased.

Beckman: It appears you finally figured out your connection issues, how could you two let this situation spiral out of control the way it has?

Sarah: "Something's been off with Chuck ever since that diamond mission, he's not acting like himself."

Casey: "It's because you lied to him too many times, Walker."

Sarah: "I have not Casey!"

Graham: "Enough the both of you! Have you been able to find out anything?"

Sarah: "The asset's newest friends have raised concerns. Not just from our earlier report and the video you've seen as well. I believe he's in extreme danger with the closeness they've already formed with him."

Beckman: "I concur Agent Walker. Meet up with the Intersect and transfer him to a secure location, until we can determine how serious this threat is."

Casey: "Are you certain that a safe house isn't the better option than a bunker?"

Graham: "The location is a safe house located underground, now retrieve the Intersect and contact us when you do."

Beckman disconnected the feed leaving Sarah and Casey looking to each other knowing that Chuck's time is running out.

Once the system was back online, Casey immediately brought up the audio and video surveillance of the apartment. Something's wrong with the picture, nothing inside of the Bartowski home was working.

Casey: "We've been compromised Walker, they took out the bugs over at Bartowski's! I don't have anything, video or audio. This is a nightmare!"

Sarah: "I'm going over there to chat with Ellie. If Chuck's not there, she'll tell me where he is."

Casey: "Good idea. I will look through all the surveillance, to see if I can find anything useful."

Sarah Walker walked towards Casa Bartowski. One thing's for certain, she wasn't going to let Chuck get away with the same type of insubordination from earlier. She knew punching him was an accident, but also unprofessional. She reasoned to herself that he pushed her buttons and got tired of it, of course that skank he had with him didn't help with the matter. However, that annoying little voice reminded her that she's supposed to be the 'Wild Card Enforcer' and emotions were supposed to be buried. Marching right up to the door she gave a very hard pounding knock, much harder than she normal knocks as the door opened up revealing Devon.

Sarah: "Hey Devon, is Chuck around? I tried calling him, but he's not answering."

Sarah could tell that Devon's expecting her. His body language showed he wasn't really glad to see her, but nonetheless allowed her to come inside.

Devon: "Come on in Sarah, Ellie's already got the wine opened."

Sarah entered the apartment wondering what Devon and Ellie were told about the incident earlier with Chuck. She spotted Ellie sitting on the sofa, drinking her glass of wine to near empty and showed signs that she'd been crying. Something wasn't right at all, which caused the alarms to start ringing in her head. She cleared her throat to alert Ellie.

Sarah: "Ellie? Are you okay?"

Ellie: "Oh Sarah, I'm so glad you're here."

Sarah looked surprised as Ellie snatched Sarah into her arms to give her the full "Ellie-Bearhug." Sarah could swear her vision was getting blurry, from the lack of circulation through her body before getting released. Ellie leads her to the sofa and hands her a glass of wine that Sarah accepted before she settled in to speak her mind.

Sarah: "So I guess Chuck told you what happened? I take it he's not here either?"

Ellie: "I'm sorry Sarah. He left here about an hour ago when we got into a heated argument, I just don't understand what's wrong with him!"

Devon leaned against the wall watching everything unfold, he sighed knowing once again Ellie's pointing the finger without all the facts. He decided to intervene, even if it's a delaying tactic. Someone had to stick up for Chuck, since it appeared his sister hated him right now.

Devon: "Ellie, maybe we should hear what Sarah has to say on things. There's always two sides to the story. Why did she hit him, and why couldn't she trust Chuck enough to be truthful?"

Ellie: "You know how dense my brother can be! He over-thinks everything, he reacts to it and speaks before thinking. Why do you think he's a trouble magnet?"

Devon: "Perhaps there's a reason why. Tell me Sarah. How come you ask Chuck to trust you, if you're not willing to do the same for him?"

Sarah: "It's hard for me to trust, because I've been hurt before many times. That's why I moved away from D.C. and broke up with my ex-boyfriend."

Devon: "Trust has to work both ways for the relationship to work, why did you punch him?"

Sarah: "We got into a fight. Not only because he ignored my calls, but I didn't like how friendly he was with that girl and new friends. I know it sounds stupid, I told him it's not to get involved with them because I was concerned about his safety. So I asked him to trust my judgment."

Ellie: "Sarah, you know he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He's a good guy but he trusts way too easily, much like a child would. What happened next?"

Sarah: "After I voiced my concerns, he yelled back at me about my trust issues and brought up my relationship with my ex-boyfriend. He made me so mad, I punched him as hard as I could."

Ellie: "Sounds like you were justified in that, I would have hit him too!"

Devon: "Sarah, violence doesn't solve any problems. It just creates more to any situation."

Ellie: "You maybe right Devon, but that doesn't excuse my idiot brother!"

Devon: "What if the roles were reversed Ellie? Would you sit here and defend Chuck's actions? If he was the one with trust issues, and Sarah brought up his relationship with Jill to upset him so much he smacked Sarah?"

Ellie: "Of course not Devon! I would've called the police, and have him arrested for assault! He would've deserved it too! Once I saw him again after that, I'd give him a piece of my mind for hitting Sarah. I raised him better than that, and after all that I'd be kicking him out of here!"

Devon: "Ellie, are you actually listening to yourself! You're gender bias for Sarah's showcasing your true colors! No matter what happened, Chuck's caught in a 'Catch-22' with you! Where's the logic in that Ellie? Chuck's right. You'll always pin the blame on him for whatever happens, regardless of fault! I don't blame him for his actions earlier, you never stop attacking him. With him being away for a month, it'll benefit us all. Most importantly, it'll benefit Chuck the most."

Sarah was shocked, Chuck's left already? He's violating orders once again, most importantly he left without her! She knew he'll be working in San Diego for the next month, but which resort in the chain is it? She needed to find out this information fast. Hopefully, Casey will find out.

Sarah: "Ellie, do you know where Chuck said he was going?"

Ellie: "He's got an exclusive job working in San Diego for the next month, upgrading the computer systems for some big shot who's the uncle of that Hailey girl. I don't know where exactly, he wouldn't tell me when I confronted him about it! He told Devon about it, but he won't tell me! He did tell me one thing for me to pass along to you, even though I don't understand what he meant by it."

Sarah: "Ellie, you're not making any sense. What did he tell you?"

Ellie: "He said that where he's going is need to know, that neither of us don't have the need to know. He told Devon where he's going, but he won't tell me!"

Sarah couldn't hide the shock that came across her face, the message Chuck left behind for her was the same words she thrown in his face when he asked about Bryce. That hit too close to home, she needed to get answers fast. She saw Devon still at his spot leaning against the wall.

Sarah: "How could you do this Devon? Chuck's her brother! Don't you see how worried she is about him? I thought you cared about Ellie? This is really hurting her!"

Devon: "Don't you dare question my feelings, or how much I care about Ellie! Chuck's a grown man, he's not a scared and helpless little kid that needs to be wrapped up into a protective bubble by an over-protective mommy! Besides, Hailey's with him and the resort's owned by her uncle. It's his decision to get away from all the drama here, to unwind and relax before starting his new job. I don't blame him for that. He deserves to have a peaceful and quiet weekend to himself, he wouldn't get that at all if he said anything! We both know Ellie would tell everything to you the moment you walk through that front door Sarah. You'd fly yourself down there to confront him, and ruin this chance of a lifetime that he's earned himself! Especially, after everything that's happened recently! I can clearly see it now, why you and Ellie get along so well. You both want to control Chuck, and keep him under your thumbs. You know what I think? Hailey's a better girlfriend for him after all."

Sarah felt like she'd been sliced with her own knives as Devon's words cut through her, that damn Hailey girl left with Chuck added more fuel to the fire. In a fit of rage, Sarah lashed out. The wine glass she was drinking out of came flying right at Devon's head, he saw the glass coming and was glad he remembered to hide behind the wall. Ellie was horrified while Sarah looked shocked that she tried to hurt Devon, thank goodness he protected himself. Sarah grabbed her purse and bolted out the door, she asked herself how could everything fall into the toilet in just a couple of days?

Devon looked over at Ellie seeing the shocked look on her face, he just shook his head.

Devon: "That's why Chuck didn't tell you where he went, Sarah's temper would've cost him more than a possible beating. He'd probably have to return to the Buy More after that, and we know how much you'd enjoy that."

Casey opened the door allowing Sarah inside before sitting down on the couch shaking, Casey handed her a glass of Johnny Walker and watched her with his arms crossed.

Casey: "Are you going to attack everybody that says something you don't like? What the hell were you thinking throwing that glass at Devon!"

Sarah: "It was unprofessional of me, his words sliced me like a knife. How did you know what I did if the monitoring is out of commission?"

Casey: "You damn right it was unprofessional Walker! Are you seriously trying to get reassigned? I was outside near the window, heard everything that was said in there."

Sarah: "Casey, don't you think we need to find Chuck? He's with that Hailey girl, it's not safe for him. He's in serious danger and we're not there to protect him."

Casey: "Yes, he's in danger of perhaps getting lucky with that girl. I obtained a copy of the work order from the Nerd Herd log to check for anything out of the ordinary, we know where he'll be Monday morning. We need to scope out the place and find him, he needs to understand that national security is the utmost priority and this latest display of his behavior is unacceptable. All of this could've been avoided if the moron followed protocol from the beginning."

Sarah: "Casey, what happens if he doesn't show up?"

Casey: "Relax, I feel he won't get into any big problems before Monday morning. Like Devon said, he's a big boy so start treating him like it Walker!"

Sarah: "Casey, this is Chuck we're talking about! He could be anywhere."

Casey: "The order shows four locations under the New Millennium Paradise chain. Apparently, it's a very high class style resort. The work order showed the location for the emergency call the other night, Catamaran Resort & Spa in Mission Beach. I'm certain that's where they went."

Sarah: "What are we waiting for? We need to get moving!"

Casey: "We've got a bit of a problem there Walker, his new friends are more than they appear to be. I tried running their faces through the facial recognition software and couldn't find anything, that Hailey girl was the only one I could find. Her story checks out. I looked at the surveillance video again of the way she handled you and I hate to admit it, but you were out-classed from the start. We know they teach a lot of techniques for hand-to-hand, she used your momentum to trap you in a choke and trapped you on the ground. You might've been able to escape, but hooking your arm into that move is something we don't teach. Once she had you immobilized, that was it. If I didn't knock her out, you're shoulder would've popped out of socket. You'd be out of commission, unable to continue on this assignment because you'd be out of field service while rehabbing your shoulder. I already notified our bosses of the situation while you were at Ellie's."

Sarah: "What about those new friends of his? They're a security threat to the Intersect! Chuck's life is in danger, who knows what they could do to him. We got to find him Casey!"

Casey: "There's more to this story, they have some well connected friends. One of the CIA recruiters up at Stanford alerted Graham, someone found out the Bartowski incident."

Sarah: "What do you mean? Chuck was expelled for cheating."

Casey: "Not exactly, Stanford cut corners. It wasn't proven if Chuck was really guilty of anything. These guys conducted a very thorough investigation into the whole matter. Everything that's at Stanford was checked over from their archives, and I really do mean everything: Admissions, Security, Records, interviews with the Dean, and another twist was Professor Fleming."

Sarah: "Why does Professor Fleming sound familiar?"

Casey: "Fleming's an undercover CIA recruiter, his class in subliminal information is used to identify recruits. Both Chuck and Bryce were in that class, Bryce was already recruited in 2001 during their junior year."

Sarah: "What's being done about this information? We need to go after him, Beckman and Graham could put a sanction out on him."

Casey: "Beckman and Graham are working on finding out everything they can on these guys, there's no sanction on him because he isn't running. Legally, he's contracted for a job that will take a month to complete."

Sarah: "Casey, he's going to be down there getting into who knows what kind of trouble! What's that idiot thinking? I need to have a nice chat with him for being so stupid!"

Casey: "Lock it up Walker! Will you be able to conduct yourself professionally when we find him, or will you attack him like an out of control crazy woman?"

Sarah: "I am not out of control!"

Casey: "You're jealous about his new girlfriend, started and lost a fight to her on top of that. You decked Chuck, and threw a glass at Devon!"

Sarah: "You're not angry at him for nearly making you shooting blanks for life with that shot?"

Casey: "Not really. I was choking the kid out, I wasn't see his face turning blue because of my anger. He kicked me because it's the only way he could get my attention, and he definitely got it. Look Walker, I need to know if I can count on my partner. I know about your trust issues and I'm asking you to trust me. That's right I need you to trust me Walker! You're giving the kid mixed signals and it's screwing with his head! You fully expect him to be truthful to you when the cover's needed. However, once the cover isn't needed you drop it and toss him a side like yesterday's news. You're main issues are when you lie to him and get pissed for lack of trust."

Sarah: "Casey you don't understand, it's complicated."

Casey: "You're the one making it complicated Walker. You should've told him the truth about your relationship with Larkin, that's what got you into this mess in the first place!"

Sarah: "So it was you that told him about me and Bryce?"

Casey: "No, it wasn't me. I suspect Carina may have done that. Now pull yourself together and put away your lady feelings, he's probably on his way to San Diego as we speak. Let's pack some gear and clothes to blend in. Otherwise, we're going to stick out like sore thumbs."

Sarah takes a deep breath to focus herself. She's going to find Chuck and force him listen to everything she has to say, even if she has to tie him to a chair. Their cover's torn to shreds and his recent attitude change has pushed her too far, it's time for the 'Wild Card Enforcer' to put Chuck Bartowski in his place! He needs to be reminded that he's just an asset and follow his handlers' orders for his own good, no matter how much his feelings get hurt! The protection of the Intersect and the greater good must always come first!


	14. Chapter 14

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 14: SMACKDOWN SHOWDOWN (PART 5)

BOB HOPE AIRPORT / BURBANK, CA

Sitting on board A.J. Casino's private jet, Chuck laid back on the very comfortable sofa relaxing with his head on Hailey's lap. He's enjoying the soft feeling of her hand softly running through his hair in a tender caress. He only wished Ellie could be happy for him because he's taking that first step towards improving his life that she so desperately wanted for him, finally getting out of the Buy More and moving on to a brighter future. He couldn't believe Ellie was disappointed and blamed him again for his complicated relationship troubles with Sarah, but he couldn't tell her the entire relationship was fake because Sarah's a government agent with the CIA.

Ellie couldn't see past the incredible acting that Sarah put on in front of her, instead she accused him of being dense and not really having a clue on dealing with women. He had to admit he too was under Sarah's spell for the entire time they were together, Carina helped open his eyes with her honesty and told him the true nature of Sarah's relationship to Bryce. That's not the reason he was upset with her about it, she continued to lie about it instead of telling him at least the truth on just that one delicate subject.

She constantly gave him mixed signals and kept using the "handler/asset" rule to say they could never be real, that's what heavily contributed towards his new attitude. Clearly he's in a no-win situation on that front, because he had the feeling Ellie would take Sarah's side over his anytime. Chuck's startled out of his thoughts when A.J. Casino sat down across from them looking at the scene in front of him.

Casino: "Looking a little rough there Chuck, what happened?"

Chuck: "I appreciate your concern A.J. but to be honest, Ellie can be very over-bearing and really pushy. She can be very scary when she starts up with her questions and won't let up until you answer everything to her satisfaction."

Casino: "Sounds like your sister's a natural born interrogator. She'd definitely be perfect for the spooks, if not a police detective. Don't worry Chuck, your sister can fire all the questions she wants. I will answer them to take the pressure off you. Now as far as being scary, I will take your word for it. However, I've been in worse places and faced pressure lots of times. Sometimes, it's just one action that could make all the difference in the outcome."

Chuck: "What kind of situation would that be? That's if you can tell me."

Casino: "Texas Hold 'Em tournament at the final table in Las Vegas, nationally televised on ESPN2. It all comes down to you and the other guy, you know he has a good hand and raised the bet to go all-in. Knowing full well there's the possibility his cards have that higher kicker to put him over the top. You look at the cards displayed on the table again, the chips already accumulated in the pot you know are worth over $50,000,000 and all comes down to your next action. Do you call going all-in to match and risk losing it all? Or will you simply fold your hand giving him the entire pot, along with the money advantage to control the game and finish you off slowly dragging it out to prolong the suffering and agony?"

Chuck's pondering what he would do if he ever found himself in that situation when the guys boarded the jet, Casino looked up seeing everyone was on board.

Casino: "Looks like everyone's here. David, how would you like to do this?"

David: "One thing's for sure, we're not going to let this slide and the numbers indeed are on our side right now. We could go to Echo Park and straighten things out between Chuck and his family to prove everything's on the up-and-up. However, it would also mean risking a direct confrontation with his spook friends. Chuck's been through enough for one day, and needs this time to get his bearings back to relax before we put him to work."

Wildfire: "The entire complex where Chuck lives, was under constant surveillance by his handlers. The apartment he shared with his sister and her boyfriend, was filled with audio and video bugs before we handled that issue."

David: "It would be understandable if Chuck was the only occupant, but that's invading the privacy of the other occupants. Which itself is violating their constitutional rights."

Artman: "What else would you expect from the spooks? They can do what they please, and the law's just a piece of paper that can be ignored by flashing their badges."

Hailey: "Chuck, this is your call. They've laid out the options, and looked at things from all the angles. Keep in mind that we're looking out for your best interests, along with your mindset. I know you want to straighten things out with Ellie, our biggest concern's your welfare. After all the drama that happened today, with the Buy More and the unexpected fight with your sister. Looking at you right now, it's very easy to see. You've been physically beaten, your mental state's fatigued, and you're stressed through the roof. Your body language even shows that you have no energy left to endure another battle today."

Chuck looked very sullen knowing that Hailey's speaking the truth, he didn't have the heart to debate anything. Things with Ellie shouldn't be left as it stands, if he wanted to accompany them and explain everything to her with the new job would help. In the end, he knew that she'd be harping more about his relationship with Sarah and continue to beat him over the head until he succumbed to her demands. Gambino grasps Chuck's shoulder to get his attention and to lend him support.

Gambino: "Chuck, what Hailey's said is true on all aspects. We can deal with this at a later date when you're healed up on these fronts, or more right now in the state you're in. Your whole life people made the choices for you, without your direct input. We're not going to repeat that trend, it's time to take charge of your life Chuck. The choice you make is your's alone. We want you to know that whatever choice you make, we'll support you and stand by your decision. That's what makes a great team, but most importantly makes a stronger bond in friendship. To know that your friends, will always have your back."

Chuck: "I want to thank you all for being here, and offering your encouraging words of support. The only people I could count on for that, were my family and friends at Buy More. Do I want to patch things up with Ellie? Of course! With everything that's happened, I'm not really in the mood to hear from her. Especially about how everything's my fault, such as my relationship issues with Sarah."

David: "There is one alternative action we can take, if you're interested to hear it."

Chuck: "What do you have in mind David?"

David: "Let's just say I have a more favorable approach, A.J. we need to have a private chat."

Casino: "This could be interesting, guys let's take a walk. Chuck and Hailey, you look very comfortable where you are. I hope we don't need to watch you, so don't move a muscle."

Chuck looked surprised as he found himself back in the original position, laying back on the sofa with his head on Hailey's lap.

Hailey: "Very funny Uncle A.J."

Casino: "Hey, I thought it was."

Gambino had that smirk on his face, he quickly took his phone out and snapped a picture of the scene when Hailey noticed him.

Gambino: "Aw look a the cute little scene there, Hailey loving her cuddly teddy bear boy toy."

Hailey: "I'm gonna get you for that! One of these days Gambino, your six is mine!"

Gambino: "Looks to me that you already have a six, you don't need to add more to it."

Chuck watched the glare she sent Gambino as he laughed before heading to the back with everyone, he turned his attention up to look into her shiny blue eyes before smiling."

Chuck: "Definitely not going to move a muscle, am I?"

Hailey: "Not if you want to make it through the night."

The teasing he heard in her voice and the smile she gave him definitely lightened his mood, she leaned down and kissed his lips softly before Casino and everyone else walked back in with grins on their faces.

Casino: "Well that's settled and since it's the weekend after all, you're going to the club that's gonna help boost your spirits Chuck. There's going to be more people for you to meet and best of all, you may get an additional job thrown your way."

Chuck: "That sounds like a good plan, what else did you discuss?"

Maverick: "Oh, we're just gonna play nice with the spooks."

David: "While they make sure your handlers behave, A.J. and myself are going to visit your sister and fully explain the terms of your employment. Not to mention, we're gonna give her the news about Stanford to help with the strain. Now before I tell her the results, I want you to see for yourself and how it proceeded."

David opened up his briefcase and handed the file with the investigative reports on what he uncovered to Chuck, he sat up with Hailey next to him looking over the results. His eyes go wide as he read the findings and the after-action report, he's stunned into disbelief. Hailey taking full advantage of it, gives him a full passionate kiss to his lips making everyone laugh.

Casino: "You deserve it Chuck, now for the first order of business. You two are under orders to leave this jet and climb aboard this one rolling in next to us."

Chuck and Hailey look outside the window and seen the Gulfstream G280 roll up next to them, they turn back to Casino with questions in their eyes.

Casino: "Look at it this way, you two can get your weekend started off right and with style. This way we can get our business taken care of, and you won't have to worry about waiting for us. You can feel free to relax, without your handlers coming after you. Have a safe flight."

David: "You earned it Chuck, this is just the first step. As for you young lady, don't get any ideas if you know what's good for you."

Hailey: "Come on Dad, what could I possibly do?"

David: "You know exactly what I'm talking about, you're too much like your Mom and me. I know exactly the kind of trouble you can get into, now go before we come to our senses."

Hailey squealed in delight then gave both her father and uncle a hug and kiss, she grabbed Chuck's hand and pulled him off the plane bringing a chuckle to everyone.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey had his bags packed with a variety of weapons and the appropriate clothing to blend in at a vacation resort, he's waiting on Walker's return before they would depart for the airport. Suddenly, an alarm was beeping on one of his tracking devices alerting him of movement from the asset. When "Operation Bartowski" began, Casey placed all of his tracking and surveillance equipment all around the complex along with inside of Casa Bartowski. Casey had switched out Chuck's wallet with a duplicate one, a GPS tracker covertly stitched inside that wouldn't be discovered without a bug sweeper.

After he obtained the location of the signal, Casey had a small grin on his face when the knock at his door prompted him to check the peephole to see Sarah returned. He opened the door let her in and noticed that at least on the surface she was composed with her game face on, he decided to give her the update he just received.

Casey: "Looks like our boy's doing some thinking Walker."

Sarah: "What do you mean Casey?"

Casey: "One of the hidden trackers on him just confirmed his location, he apparently must've come to his senses from earlier. Tracker showing he's at the beach."

Sarah: "The sooner we get there, the better. Time to remind him that it's our job to protect him, his new friends are a threat to national security!"

Casey: "The investigation they ran at Stanford opened up the secret meeting with Fleming and Larkin, it could've raised red flags with Beckman and Graham."

Sarah: "So what do we do Casey? Do we confront Chuck with his friends, or should we get some backup?"

Casey: "We're on our own Walker. It's wise to be friendly towards Bartowski when we arrive there, if we act like we did at Buy More it's going to be a disaster."

Sarah: "Casey, I thought Chuck would be alone?"

Casey: "You thought wrong Walker, Chuck will be there with his new friends in tow."

The limosuine arrived at the Echo Park Apartments as the occupants noticed that Sarah's Porsche in her usual parking spot when she visits along with Casey's Crown Victoria, Casey and Sarah step out of the apartment heading for the Vic. Once the car started it immediately began tearing off down the road heading in the direction of the beach, checking the watch to time it right. Four men exit the limo and begin walking into the apartment complex, two head in the direction for Casey's apartment and pick the lock to slip inside easily as the other two stroll over to Casa Bartowski.


	15. Chapter 15

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 15: ECHO PARK SUMMIT

ECHO PARK / BURBANK, CA

Devon Woodcombe was finally able to relax after cleaning up the broken wine glass that Sarah had thrown at him in an angry rage, he still couldn't believe that she did it. Even his laid back attitude was tested, because of the way Ellie and Sarah both double-teamed him with their whining along with Ellie's constant nagging about Chuck's refusal to make up with Sarah. What shocked him even more was her obvious defending of Sarah's actions, for punching her brother and if the roles were reversed. Chuck wouldn't only have the cops called on him for assault, but she'd pile on with her nagging for striking Sarah before kicking him out on the street to put the top on that crap sundae.

He was still surprised that Sarah thrown her wine glass at his head. He wouldn't budge on his stance on where Chuck was headed, and told her off about questioning his feelings for Ellie trying to lay a guilt trip on him. What possibly set her off was not only did he mention Hailey's accompanying Chuck to her uncle's resort, but he believed that Hailey's a better match for Chuck. He looked over to the sofa seeing Ellie had finally calmed down enough to take a nap, she was covered up with a blanket to bring some peace to the day. Thinking that it wasn't such a bad idea himself, he was about to stretch out in the recliner when there's a knock at the door.

He was looked to make sure it didn't wake up Ellie before he tip-toed over to the door, softly opening the door he saw two men about the same size. One was a man with platinum blonde hair in an expensive suit and the other was black hair in a casual business suit armed with a briefcase, Devon quickly stepped outside and gently closed the door behind him.

Devon: "How can I help you gentlemen?"

David: "You must be Devon Woodcombe, the boyfriend of Eleanor Bartowski."

Devon: "Yes I am, how did you know that and who are you?"

Casino: "We're here on behalf of Chuck Bartowski. We came here to discuss with you and his sister Ellie about his new employment opprotunity, along with the results of an investigation of his dismissal from Stanford in 2002."

Devon: "Can I see some ID please?"

Casino: "No problem Doctor Woodcombe."

Devon noticed the professional title Casino used to address him, both men showed their ID's to satisfy him. He opened the door and nodded for the men to follow him inside as they made their way to the kitchen table for the discussion.

Devon: "Please call me Devon, could I offer you guys anything to drink?"

David: "Bottled water if you have any would be fine."

Casino: "Make that two, it's too early in the evening to drink anything else."

Devon opened up the fridge and snagged two bottles out before making his way back to the table. He noticed Ellie was stirring on the sofa, knowing she was on the verge of waking up.

Devon: "Excuse me gentlemen. Ellie's about to wake up from a nap, and I would like to break the news to her so she doesn't jump into a hysterical frenzy."

David: "I understand completely, my youngest used to cause quite a ruckus that irked my wife. Everytime that happened, she blamed me saying that she's my daughter when she acted just like her."

They remained at the table watching Devon make his way to the sofa before he kneeled down to give Ellie a kiss to her forehead, she slowly opened her eyes to blink the sleep away.

Devon: "Hey babe, did you have a decent nap?"

Ellie: "Sorry I fell asleep sweetie, I guess I was more tired than I realized."

Devon: "Well it's been a stressful day and you needed your rest, we have guests babe. Two guys are here on behalf of Chuck, apparently they have something to do with that new job he was talking about. They mentioned they wanted to speak with both of us, one of them appears to be a lawyer of some kind."

Ellie: "Why would he need a lawyer? Did he get into trouble already?"

Devon: "Ellie, don't start up with assuming the worst of your brother. Please keep an open mind and we can see what this would be about. I'm going to bring you a cup of tea to soothe you."

Ellie got to her feet slowly from the sofa making sure she was presentable, she cautiously made her way into the kitchen seeing the new guests. David and Casino both rose to their feet out of habit when someone entered the room, she wasn't sure what to think of these strangers.

David: "Good evening Miss Bartowski, my name's David Smith. I'm an attorney that's here on behalf of your brother."

Ellie: "Why does Chuck need a lawyer? Is he in some kind of trouble that he never told me?"

Casino: "Not at all Miss Bartowski, David here was hired by myself to handle an investigation for me pertaining to your brother."

Ellie: "What kind of investigation, and who are you?"

Casino: "My name's A.J. Casino, I'm the extremely proud owner of the New Millennium Paradise Resorts chain that your brother will be working exclusively at for the next month. Here's my card for you and Mr. Woodcombe. That's my private number on there, you can call it at anytime if you're unable to reach Chuck over the next month. Trust me when I say that I would get him to contact you immediately. We have private jets and helicopters, in case there's a family emergency that requires him to get to your location immediately."

Casino handed two cards to both Ellie and Devon, they looked carefully at them to verify that he's indeed who he says he is. Ellie was still skeptical as usual.

Ellie: "Devon, isn't that the resort your parents stayed at during one of their trips?"

Devon: "Yeah babe…They raved over their service."

Ellie: "You guys must be doing something right, if you can impress Honey Woodcomb. I haven't been able to do that yet!"

Casino: "It's understandable Miss Bartowski, let's just say I have that certain touch to impress anybody depending on the situation. That's neither here nor there, David and myself came here to help alleviate your worries with Chuck's new career and the chance of a lifetime at getting a better life professionally and personally."

David: "Miss Bartowski..."

Ellie: "Please call me Ellie, I know you're being polite and professional. Miss Bartowski just makes me feel like I'm much older than I am."

Casino: "Well if he didn't know any better and knowing the story with Chuck, I would figure you're 23 at the most."

Ellie: "Please Mr. Casino, you're making me blush."

Everyone chuckled at that before getting back to business.

David: "The reason why I handled this investigation was because of what Chuck told me and the rest of our associates the other night when we first met him, he explained the whole details about what happened to him at Stanford and the aftermath to his current position."

Ellie: "Chuck had told me that you were going to conduct an investigation into what happened to him, I was skeptical because it's been five years and thought it was over with."

David: "That's usually the case, but the investigation was very faulty. They just looked at the evidence and the word of a professor, but Chuck wasn't able to plead his case to have both sides like a trial should. That act in itself was enough to warrant a very thorough investigation into the incident, I double-checked everything from the original sources in the archives and spoke directly with everyone that was involved including the Dean and the Professor that dismissed him. After looking at all the evidence from my investigation, I notified my boss of the findings and we came out with the results. Chuck was clearly dismissed unfairly by Stanford. If he wanted to file a several million dollar lawsuit against them, we would win convincingly."

Devon: "What exactly would this mean for Chuck?"

David: "We came to a mutual settlement for all parties, that's beneficial for everyone involved."

Ellie: "What sort of settlement would that be?"

David opened up his briefcase handing a couple of envelopes to Ellie and Devon.

David: "The settlement was mutually agreed upon understanding and signed to make it a legal document, this includes the following conditions: Charles Irving Bartowski has been cleared of any wrong doing, the black mark on his record has been erased forever. We also discovered Chuck had already met the criteria to obtain his degree with the 4.0 GPA he maintained at the time of his unfortunate dismissal, and it was decided that Chuck Bartowski be awarded his Bachelor of Science in Electric Engineering."

Ellie gasped in surprise and covered her mouth with her hands trying to contain her excitement.

David: "He's also awarded five million dollars in compensation, due to the lost wages their actions caused him. Chuck already knows about this, and we've decided to use some of the compensation to handle matters for you both. The envelopes in your possession contain the confirmation letters that both your student loans are paid off, the title to this apartment's now in your name as it's been bought and paid for. Finally, there's a deposit into your bank accounts of one million dollars to give you enough of a head start towards your future."

Ellie couldn't believe this news and started crying hysterically as she thrown her arms around Devon, the scene in front of them gave Casino and David a huge smile. This was truly worth it to them and knew that Chuck wanted to do the right thing for his sister, despite her overbearing ways. Casino handed Devon a tissue to give to Ellie, in which she graciously accepts. When he saw that she composed herself, he continued his story.

Casino: "I know you're wondering what sort of work your brother will be doing for me, let's just say I was very impressed with his work. I wanted him to update all of the systems at my four resorts in the San Diego area to start with, which means you'll be able to see him quite often. The systems include networking, security, and reservation systems. All of our rooms are eqipped with high definition televisions. So we need to make sure everything's running smoothly together, because of Chuck will have access to top of the line equipment. That's why he's being paid quite a huge amount of money for his services, he'll have the best of everything provided for him. Including his own personal vehicle, that he chooses that will be bought and paid for by my company."

Devon: "That's very impressive Mr. Casino, sounds like Chuck's finally getting everything he deserves after the last five years of disappointment."

Casino: "Indeed you're correct Devon, I have to be honest with you though. This doesn't occur very often in our business and I'm sure you're wondering if I have other people like Chuck to do this type of work for me at the standard rate. The usual people that handles this for me are still on the East Coast handling similiar contracts with my associates, that's why I decided to offer Chuck a contract that would start with the $100,000 upfront payment for the first phase of his employment with us. Getting him to sign for such a small sum was good business sense with the potential of extending to travel to my other properties for the same amount of work, one of my closest friends owns some prestigious night clubs. They could benefit from Chuck's personal touch, enabling him to earn an additional $50,000 on top of that."

Ellie: "Oh my God! This is great news, you hear that Devon? This means Chuck can finally leave the Buy More! He can finally live up to his potential and have a brighter future, you don't know how happy you made us."

Casino: "Well that's what we had in mind when I offered him this job, we knew from the start he was special and deserved something more than working at an electronic retail store making a lousy $11.50 an hour. That black mark on his record from Stanford had severely handicapped him from gaining a great job or career, that's why he had no choice but to work there. Thank you for allowing us into your home as guests, and for explaining what your brother will be doing for me. It's time for us to leave as we're due back in San Diego this evening, and I would like to have Chuck settled in before he starts work on Monday. That way I can give him the layout on all the locations he'll be working."

Ellie: "I wish I could just tell him that I'm proud of him for this."

Casino: "Well if you would like, we can have you join us tomorrow night at one of the clubs that I mentioned. We can have a limosuine here to take you to Bob Hope Airport, fly you down in one of my private jets to San Diego. From there another limosuine will take you to the club."

Ellie: "That sounds like a great idea, can we invite two of our closest friends?"

Devon: "Babe, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Remember, what I said earlier about why Chuck's already left for his weekend getaway."

Ellie: "Yes Devon, I'm already aware of that! This way we can see Chuck, let him know that we're proud of him for finally moving forward."

Devon looked at Ellie with an uneasy feeling in his eyes, he knew what she was planning.

Devon: "I almost forgot to mention, we met Hailey earlier today. She had a little bump on her head. Otherwise, she's fine and didn't show any symptoms of a concussion."

David: "Thank you very much Devon, that's very much appreciated."

Ellie gave Devon a glare wondering why he brought up that girl's name, it's bad enough that Chuck's getting way too close to her and not showing any sign of making up with Sarah anytime soon. This really got her curious, and a curious Ellie was a nosey Ellie. David and Casino both noticed the angry look in Ellie's eyes.

Ellie: "Devon, is there a reason why you brought her up?"

David: "I can answer your question Miss Bartowski."

Devon and Ellie noticed a chill in the tone David's voice, he reached into his pocket to grab his wallet. He extracted a picture out of it and slid it across the table for them to see, Ellie was shocked to see the girl she strongly disapproved of. She was beaming very happily in a family portrait, where all four of them are wearing matching dress blue uniforms. The light bulb went off in her head, the man in the photo was her father along with her mother and sister. Devon noticed the resemblance right away seeing where she got her smile and eyes from, it was clear that David could detect the disdain in Ellie's voice when his daughter was mentioned. That was something he wouldn't approve of.

Devon: "That's a nice family you have David, I didn't know that you're affiliated with the Navy. Hailey had mentioned earlier that she was a 4th generation Naval Aviator."

David: "That's very true Devon. My grandfather flew F4U Corsair's in WWII, my father flew in F-8 Crusader's during the 60's, and I flew F-14 Tomcats until 1994. Hailey currently flies the F-18 Super Hornet off the Patrick Henry, which is what I served on. What's funny is Admiral Ingles had just retired and heard that Hailey's being assigned to the ship, he told me that it's a good thing that he doesn't have to be a CO to another Smith. It was bad enough he had to deal with me, whenever the annual carrier quals came around then he had to deal with my wife as well."

Devon: "Your wife flew as well? I didn't think spouses were allowed on the same ship?"

David: "Tomcats have a team. I'm the Pilot/Driver and my wife was the RIO, what we called the GIBS/R2D2. We were the best team in the Navy until she went into the Reserves to spend more time with the family.

Ellie: "How did you end up being a lawyer if you were a pilot?"

David: "Very simple, flying jet fighters is a young person's game nowadays. When I wasn't deployed on a carrier, I enrolled in law school not long after Hailey was born and got my degree."

Devon: "That's awesome!"

Casino: "We'd like to think so, I meant what I said about you're being invited down. However, I must caution you to think very carefully about it. This means you especially Eleanor. Chuck's had a very exhausting day, physically and emotionally, as you very well know. The purpose for him to go away this weekend, is to relax and unwind before he starts his new job. Do not use this gift I'm giving you, as a tool to further whatever agenda you have in mind! Devon, we'd like to thank you for all that you've done for Hailey and for Chuck. Enjoy your night."

David and Casino both left the apartment leaving Ellie stunned and speechless, she turned her eyes up to Devon and saw the disappointment in his eyes.

Ellie: "What's that look for Devon?"

Devon: "Don't try acting clueless Ellie. You're true colors and intention was showing the minute Hailey's name was brought up, along with the invite to San Diego. If you didn't feel the cold chill coming from David, after your little remark about why I brought up his daughter's name. You also seem to forget they had seen Chuck after they left earlier. Why else would they issue you the warning about pushing the agenda, and possibly ruin Chuck's weekend? Let it go Ellie, it's not going to end well for you at all if you don't."

Devon walked away leaving Ellie in a state of shock, she's wondering what's happened to her happy life and the two men she loved the most.


	16. Chapter 16

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 16: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (PART 1)

SANTA MONICA BEACH / SANTA MONICA, CA

The Crown Victoria pulled up to the parking lot, both Casey and Sarah stepped out of the car moving quietly towards the beach. Casey checked the signal to confirm Chuck's very near, he motions to Sarah as she replies with a nod. Both agents move quietly closer to their asset, not to alert him of their movements. Double checking to make sure they're close enough and nobody's watching them, Casey pulls out a tranq gun and shoots Chuck in the upper back. They watched him crumble to the sand before rushing forward, Sarah immediately ran forward to retrieve their asset while Casey produced zip ties to secure Bartowski. Once they get close enough to him, Sarah started yelling.

Sarah: "This reckless endangerment stops now Chuck! It's time to grow up and end this childish attitude! You're going to listen to me, even if I have to beat that into you!"

Sarah turned Chuck over on to his back, gasping immediately at the sight. Her hands covering her mouth in shock, Casey came up next to her and notices the expression on Sarah's face.

Casey: "Walker, what's the matter? We got the kid..."

Casey looked down to see what caused Sarah's reaction, laying there in the sand wasn't Chuck Bartowski. Instead, it's a mannequin dressed up looking like Chuck! His government issued watch was attached to the wrist, but something else attracted their attention. A folded up piece of paper that read "Check inside left coat pocket". Cautiously, Sarah checked the pocket and extracted a mini tape recorder. Unsure of what to make of it, they played the tape and the voice of the popular Simpson's character Nelson began speaking.

Nelson: "The joke's on you, you're down 0-2. HA HA!"

John Casey was boiling mad! He grabbed the tape recorder and hurled it into the ocean water, he growled and kicked the sand like a child having a temper tantrum. Sarah's still reeling in shock as she stared down at the dummy. In a flash, she had one of her knives out before she stabbed the mannequin straight through where the heart would be. The murderous gleam was back in her eyes. Both of them looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement, these people were really pissing them off! Casey took one last look at the dummy and kicked it a few feet away. They angrily stalked back to the Crown Vic, slamming the doors and started the engine. Once the car was in gear, they burned rubber down the road heading back to Echo Park.

After watching the scene unfold, two men walk up to where the mannequin was laying. One of them shaking his head in anguish, he turned to his friend.

Wildfire: "Did you see that? That blonde witch just killed Chucky!"

Maverick: "I know bro, you know we're gonna need to break the news to his next of kin."

Both men were looking somber when they were joined by six others, they looked at the mannequin before Artman put his hand on Wildfire's shoulder.

Artman: "War is hell bro. Sometimes they know the next mission they take, would be their last one and never return. He served with honor, you should be proud of him like the rest of us. He sacrificed himself for the better of the team, and saved the lives of people who never knew him. He's in a better place."

Wildfire: "I really understand that, but one question remains."

Maverick leaned down to pick up the mannequin, pointing out the stab wound.

Maverick: "How are we going to explain this to Mental?"

Khaos: "That's true, he's gonna be heartbroken. He put in a lot of work on this one."

Hollywood: "He fooled the spooks enough to think so, well he can replace that area and Chucky will be as good as new."

Gambino: "On that note gentlemen, time to head back home. No telling what's waiting for us."

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Casey flung open the door to his apartment and headed straight for the bedroom to retrieve his bag, he marched back into the living room with that angry look in his eyes. Sarah knew that he was angry for two reasons. One, their asset wasn't in their clutches. The other reason, this was the second time that someone's been a step ahead of them. These were antics she could see coming from the Buy Morians having fun playing some childish games, not by some national security threat in possession of their asset. These little games at their expense has made them look bad, their destroyed pride's made them fail to see any humor in all of this.

Sarah: "Casey, despite the circumstances. We should wait until morning to head down to San Diego, please hear me out. We're not in the right frame of mind, going down there right now half-cocked and running on emotions instead of thinking like agents won't be a solid plan of attack. If can get a good night sleep, we'll be well rested and more alert. We can formulate a plan while gathering up more intel, using the traffic cameras or whatever means necessary to learn all we can of the area before going down there."

Casey: "Actually, that's a great idea Walker. I'm in a killing mood and my trigger finger's extremely itchy. I'm going to dig into as much information as I can find on that Casino guy. It's very obvious we're dealing with real professionals here, not some of these street punk gangs. We can contact the higher-ups in the morning at a decent hour, going to them now with what we know could land both of us reassigned to Antartica."

Sarah agreed and says good night to Casey as she leaves his apartment, walking past the fountain she could see the lights on at Casa Bartowski. Checking the time seeing that it's getting a little late, she thought the least she could do was go over and apologize for her actions earlier. She walked over to the door and lightly knocked on it when Devon opens it, she noticed he looked a little tired from the day's events and thought to make it short.

Sarah: "Hey Devon, sorry for the late call. I just wanted to come by and apologize to both you and Ellie for my actions earlier. You didn't deserve any of that, and I had no right to take my anger or frustrations with Chuck out on you. Most importantly, you shouldn't of had to worry about getting attacked in your own home. Especially, by one of your own wine glasses."

Devon: "It's cool Sarah, I know you're upset and worried about Chuck. You just need to relax a little bit, and not fly off the handle when someone says something to upset you."

Ellie came to the doorway hearing voices. Upon seeing Sarah, she gave a little squeal of seeing her before coming over and hugs her to the shock of Sarah. Looking back to Devon, who shrugged his shoulders. Ellie pushed past him to walk into the courtyard, she pulled Sarah along before closing the apartment door behind them. Once at the fountain to sit down, it's obvious from Ellie's bouncing she's bursting to share some information that could be of interest.

Sarah: "Ellie, what's going on? I came by to apologize to Devon about what happened earlier, and I see you're bursting at the seams wanting to tell me something."

Ellie: "Oh Sarah, everything looks to be getting back to normal. All's right with the world again, well almost. We had a most interesting talk with Mr. Casino and his lawyer Mr. Smith, it had to do with Chuck."

Sarah was shocked, two of those guys were here? Of course! They were on that wild goose chase to the beach when it happened. She changed her expression to appear more interested, this could lead to much needed intel.

Sarah: "What did they need to talk to you about Chuck? More importantly, why was there a lawyer involved? Is he in any kind of trouble?"

Ellie: "Actually just the opposite, Mr. Casino owns some very luxurious resorts in San Diego as part of the New Millennium Paradise resort chain. Chuck had done a job for him late last night, that's why we never heard from him. It's a four hour drive from here, and he worked most of the day. I would've been worried if he tried driving back, given how much driver fatigue can kill. So the owner put him up overnight in the resort, and this morning offered Chuck a great job for the next month."

Sarah: "Wow that's very exciting for him, I'm happy for him really."

Ellie: "There's more to it than that Sarah, Mr. Smith had went up to Stanford and actually ran an investigation into why Chuck was expelled. He uncovered everything and found out Stanford was at fault for an incomplete investigation, they agreed to a settlement. Not only did that clear Chuck of any wrong doing, but granted him his degree! Part of the settlement money that Chuck was awarded he used to pay off mine and Devon's student loans, along with purchasing the apartment giving it to us so we don't have to worry about it anymore!"

Sarah: "Oh Ellie, I'm so glad to hear that! If anybody deserves this it's Chuck, it couldn't have happened to a better guy really."

Ellie: "That's not all, Mr. Casino has invited me and Devon down to San Diego for tomorrow night. We're going to be riding in a limo to the airport and fly down in his private jet, we're supposed to be meeting them at some very fancy night club that's owned by a friend of their's. I asked if I could invite my two closest friends, that happen to be you and Casey. I told him that all of us wanted to let him know how proud we are, so yes Chuck will be there at the club. Unfortunately, that Hailey girl will be there too because that lawyer's her father."

Sarah: "You said Chuck's going to be at that club? Even worse, he'll be with that damn skank? Ellie, I think it's time we straighten out your brother because this has gone on long enough!"

Ellie: "I agree Sarah. You're his girlfriend, the one he's supposed to be with. Not some girl he just met yesterday. Do you see why I keep telling you how much of an idiot my brother is when it comes to us women?"

Sarah: "Ellie, you know I love your brother. Despite our complicated relationship, it'll take a while before we can even get to the point where you and Devon are. Let's try not to push things too much too fast. If we confront him, it can't be at the same time. Or else, he'll not talk to either one of us. We have to be smart about this. One of us corners him, while the other makes sure that Hailey girl isn't around when we do talk."

Ellie: "That's what I had in mind in the first place. Let me talk to him first, he knows that those two men were going to let me know about his new job and the results from Stanford. I will make him see my way of thinking, one way or another. I better get back inside before Devon comes out here looking for me, this is going to be so much fun tomorrow night. Good night Sarah, drive safely!"

Ellie gave Sarah a hug and jogged back inside the apartment leaving Sarah a little surprised, she couldn't believe that Ellie just provided the perfect "in" to find Chuck and nobody would be more the wiser. She would need to inform Casey of this development and the bosses, it's finally coming together for them thanks to the most unlikeliest of sources.

THE VEGAS STRIP / LAS VEGAS, NV

Chuck Bartowski couldn't believe his eyes at the sight in front of him, looking out the window with Hailey seated next to him was the famous Las Vegas strip. He quickly looked at her seeing the smile on her face as they landed at McCarran International Airport.

Chuck: "I can't believe you managed to do this! How did you know that I always wanted to come here? Not even Sarah or Casey knew that bit of information?"

Hailey: "I figured that you've never been outside of California, other than the two weeks you spent with me in Virginia. The last five years, you couldn't afford to do anything besides working in the Buy More. Now that you're going to have this great career in front of you, and my Dad was able to restore your reputation by getting your record cleared. What better cause to celebrate then a trip to Vegas? Besides you know what they say, you only live once."

Chuck: "I thought it was what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?"

Hailey had a mischievous gleam in her eyes that Chuck was starting to see more and more.

Hailey: "That too, unless you thinking about doing something to warrant that."

The limosuine was there to pick them up as they walked hand-in-hand towards the exit, Chuck held on to her hand making sure she didn't stumble climbing into the car before following in behind her. Once the door was closed, it was time to set sail on their adventure. He always wanted to come to Vegas at least once in his lifetime not only to see the sights, but to try his luck at the tables to say that he experienced it. Hailey being by his side really made the experience that much more enjoyable.

Chuck: "Well milady. Do we have an agenda planned out, or are we making it up as we go?"

Hailey: "The first course of action's checking in, that way we'll have a room at one of these luxurious hotels. Especially, since it's going to be a long night ahead of us. Once that's taken care of and we have our room keys, we're gonna need to change our clothes. We didn't plan on being gone for a period of time, so our extra clothes are still in San Diego. I know you packed somethings at the apartment, but we didn't plan this until Uncle A.J. sent the other jet. We'll need to buy something for us to go out in tonight. I definitely need a shower and so do you, only because of what happened in Buy More."

Chuck: "You're right as usual. Besides, we don't know how many more times we'll be able to do this. So let's make every moment count."

Hailey: "Oh really, are you're planning on bringing me back here? Something you care to share with me Chuck, or just pointing out that our busy schedules may prevent this for a while?"

Chuck: "That depends. Whether or not, you want to come back here in the future."

Hailey: "Well Mr. Bartowski, is that your idea of proposing to me?"

He noticed the amusement across her face. With that gleam still in her eyes, he knew she's planning something. Could she actually be serious, or is she just playing up the moment? He thought about it carefully, was he actually thinking about it? They'd been dating albeit long distance ever since that fateful day at Santa Monica. The constant communication through emails and whenever she had liberty weekends, she'd buy pre-paid phone cards to call him. Of course, he remembered the two weeks he stayed with her two weeks before his birthday. The talks they shared about the future and what they wanted to do. He also remembered the talk with David back at the resort after everything was revealed, he knew how scary David can be and that was before the Buy More showdown.

David asked him honestly about his intentions and feelings towards Hailey, he gave him the answers straight from his heart. The only reason they weren't officially a couple was because the whole Intersect debacle came into play. Now that he's got a new family for support and a career ahead of him thanks to the settlement and degree, maybe he could take that next step.

Chuck: "First thing's first sweetheart. Let's see if we can make it through the night first, before writing checks that we can't cash yet. Besides, I don't want your father to kill me just yet."

Hailey: "Chuck, you have nothing to worry about with my Dad. He knows the kind of person you are and he already likes you, if you didn't already know. He already's given you his blessing if we want that next step. Besides, Mom and Jen already know you and they like you too. After all, you did endure three hours on a shopping spree with three women who love to shop. Dad would've just handed us the card, instead of going through the experience. I'm the lucky one, mostly because my career doesn't leave much room for dating or finding someone willing to go through the rough separations that can happen with the six month deployments. Mom and Dad have handled it, because they both had been on deployments. Even before they were married. We've already survived that critical first one, even more impressive it had been at the start of our relationship. I don't think anybody else could've."

Chuck: "You're right it's tough, because I'd be worrying constantly about you if something happened out there. As long as I know you're okay, deployments won't be so bad. Like you mentioned, your parents experienced it and now so have we. Besides, I could always go to your family for advice and support on dealing with the anxiety whenever it comes."

Hailey: "Well that's great because I wanted to know if you can handle it, that first one wasn't much of a test because we've spent one day together. Now that we're moving forward and heading towards that next step, the next sea deployment will be the real test. Listen Chuck, I care about you a lot as you know. The connection we've made since we met has helped us get more in tune with each other. With the exception of our nearly seven month together, I know that you've been treated like crap in the past month and five years before don't have to worry about that with me. What you see's what you get, and if anybody tries to come between us. I'm not going to stand around and let it happen, because I'd be too busy kicking their six. Now let's get our adventure started, are you with me Chuck?"

Chuck: "To hell and back Hailey, I'm with you to hell and back."

Chuck gave Hailey the biggest smile she'd ever seen from him, the surprised look on her face at his answer made her heart swell even more. She launched herself at him to kiss him with all the passion she could muster while Chuck had to brace himself before bringing his arms up around her returning the kiss. When the lack of air caused them to separate, their foreheads touching while holding each other. Hailey looked up into his eyes and she knew that no words needed to be spoken, she knew what he wanted because she wanted the exact same. This was going to be one exciting adventure for them.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey was still awake despite the late hour looking through all the information he could gather about the New Millennium Paradise Resorts, he knew that hacking their databases would definitely tip them off due to the high security in place. Casey decided to take the easy way of checking out the locations and layouts of the resorts, off their websites through Google. He was brought out of his thoughts when his cell phone rang. Looking down to see it's Sarah calling, this was unexpected but could be interesting. Picking up the phone and answering.

Casey: "Casey secure, what's going on Walker?"

Sarah: "Walker secure. I got some interesting news Casey, I know where Chuck's location will be tomorrow evening. He'll be at some prestigous night club in San Diego."

Casey: "Well that narrows the field down considerably, do you know how many night clubs are in San Diego? More importantly, how did you come across this information?"

Sarah: "Ellie saw me after I left your apartment, I acted like I had just arrived after thinking over what happened earlier and stopped by to apologize to Devon."

Casey: "Smooth move Walker. Did you really apologize to him, or was it an act?"

Sarah: "I really did apologize because Devon didn't deserve that. Ellie's becoming an unexpected ally, apparently her and Devon were invited down to this night club where Chuck's going to be at. They're having a limo and private jet providing their way down there, she even asked to invite her closest friends that would be us. Casey this provides us with the perfect 'in' to get near him and get him away from those people, we can't miss this chance!"

Casey: "You do realize that it's going to burn our covers, if we snatch Bartowski with his sister and Devon there. She's never going to forgive you for this, you know it's going to further alienate her from the moron and Devon. I don't envy her position right now, she's going to burn all the bridges with them if this goes the way it sounds. Betraying your own family for some lady feelings agenda to help you out, all because she'd bought your cover. Ellie's gonna find out too late that it's all an act when you take him away to an underground bunker. She'll never see him again, and she'd have nobody to blame but herself."

Sarah: "I know Casey. I really feel bad for her, she honestly feels that me and Chuck should be together. The cover's going real well until this past week, now it's really torn to pieces because of Chuck's actions. I wish Carina had kept her mouth shut, but I only have myself to blame on that end. Covers come and go, just like all the other previous assignments. The protection of the greater good is what we signed on for, it's the sacrifice we make to ensure that everyone else can live their happy life. I will meet you tomorrow Cey."

Sarah turned off the phone and got herself ready for bed, she's looking forward to going to San Diego tomorrow night and retrieve her asset. Failure wasn't an option. This time she's more determined than ever, to make sure her perfect string of successful missions continued.

MANDALAY BAY / LAS VEGAS, NV

Chuck and Hailey headed into the waiting casino. After getting their stacks of chips, they headed for the Blackjack tables and watched the action for a few minutes. Chuck was concentrating on the patterns of how the cards landed to determine his strategy. Hailey squeezed his hand as he looked into her eyes to gauge the silent question when he gave her his charming smile, her answer was a simple soft kiss to his lips before nodding to the table. Making their way to the seats, being the gentleman that he is held the seat out for Hailey. That's one of the many things she loves about him. After she was seated, Chuck took his seat as both of them placed their wagers to the dealer and began playing at the table. One of the servers came over and took their drink orders before placing their next bets, looking back to one another and exchanged smiles hoping for a great night of fun.


	17. Chapter 17

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 17: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (PART 2)

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of shooting terrorists like they're on a carnival game. His blissful dream was rudely interrupted by the beeping from one of his monitoring systems, he groaned getting up out of bed and slowly walked over to the machine. Pulling up the monitor showing the facial recognition software got a hit on Bartowski! He quickly brought up the video of the cameras and zoomed in the image for a closer inspection, tracing the location of his missing asset. He was outraged upon the discovery, the moron was currently in Las Vegas! Checking the time he knew that Beckman would be sleeping, preparing himself for raising the ire of his superior he composed himself before sending the conference call.

Beckman turned on her screen while she was still in her nightgown and sleep mask from the rude interruption, fixing her agent with an angry glare.

Beckman: "This had better be extremely important Major! What news do you have to report that couldn't possibly wait for a few more hours?"

Casey: "Ma'am, we just got a location on the asset. Facial software just confirmed he's in Las Vegas, I can be there within the hour."

Beckman: "We can't risk it Casey, he could be on the move before you get there. We have a team based in Vegas. Contact them and tell them that Bartowski's to be apprehended, at all costs by any means necessary!"

Casey: "Will this be a termination sanction or underground securement? As you're well aware of, the female that's travelling with him's still a concern."

Beckman: "Both of them will be taken to an underground bunker, where they'll be confined for the rest of their lives!"

Casey: "With all due respect General. You're aware this woman's a member of our armed forces, she's not a terrorist. I'm not sure if holding her in confinement's such a good idea."

Beckman: "She's has our most important goverment asset in her possession, she also attacked a federal agent! That's enough right there for me to throw her into custody! I will make certain she never sees the light of day ever again! Do I make myself clear Major!"

Casey: "Yes ma'am, I will contact the Vegas team ASAP."

Beckman clapped twice to disconnect the screen as Casey was faced with the dilemma. He knows the woman's just protecting Bartowski, despite the assault on Walker. He watched the video countless times, it's a simple case of self-defense. Walker struck first, this woman just defended herself. Shaking himself out of his musings, he called the Vegas office to report the order to secure Bartowski and his lady friend.

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

Returning back from the adventure they had in Los Angeles, everyone's sitting around relaxing in their lounge chairs. While they certainly had fun with the pranks they played, quite pleased with themselves. They knew sooner or later things would begin to heat up, especially since they knew Chuck and Hailey wasn't there. Casino was informed by his pilots, the other private jet was indeed in Las Vegas. Upon hearing that news, everyone looked at David and Elizabeth.

Khaos: "I'm surprised you're not on your way up there, you're not worried about them doing anything out of the ordinary?"

David: "I trust Chuck to do the right thing, it's in his character. Hailey maybe wild, but she wouldn't do something to the point that you're implying."

Wildfire: "So you wouldn't be the least bit upset if they return tomorrow, and they sort of I don't know...Got married at one of those 24 hour chapels?"

David gave Wildfire an evil glare promising pain, Liz intervened after putting her hand on her husband's forearm to keep him grounded.

Liz: "Neither of them would do that. True crazy things happen in Vegas, and you never know. We know they wouldn't intentionally take advantage of the other like that."

Gambino: "You're right, but there's something you failed to consider. You know they're deeply in love with each other, despite the spooks invaded Chuck's life that forced him to break it off."

David: "We've taken that into account. You remember Chuck poured his heart out and even asked us for his blessing when they reach that point."

Gambino: "Well in that case, factor all that in with the amounts of alcohol that's known for being served in Vegas at the hotels and casinos. Do I need to continue?"

Artman: "Bottom line's this, alcohol loosens your lips. You know that brain to mouth filter that we've all generally fail to engage when we speak before thinking? True feelings come out and you know their feelings towards one another. Wildfire's right, that's easily in play."

Suddenly, an alarm started beeping. Maverick pulled out his cell phone to check the alert, all eyes turned to him. He shrugged his shoulders and gave them a small grin.

Maverick: "When we were playing exterminators, Wildfire and me had planted some of our bugs to monitor their secret little meetings. I just got some interesting news."

Gambino: "Must not be good news judging by the red alert chime, what's going on that we need to know about?"

Maverick read the message and saw the video attachment, he played the video conference between Casey and Beckman for everyone. Once they heard the reason for the call, they started having a bad feeling. They heard Casey's concern regarding the orders including Hailey. That may have saved him for the time being, but their biggest issue was Beckman's attitude that made her cross the line. David's blood boiled instantly, he knew there's no time to lose.

David: "Get your sixes to the airfield fast! I'm calling Miramir to scramble some birds for you followed by Nellis for your landing, we're gonna take the Gulfstream and meet you there. Hopefully we'll get there in time, or else those spooks will wish they've never been born if they carry out that witch's threat! Dismissed!"

Nobody needed to be told twice as the six men sprinted to the parking area where their vehicles were parked, they started up their cars and raced towards their destination hoping they weren't too late. One thing's for certain, the storm's approaching.

MANDALAY BAY / LAS VEGAS, NV

They say that time flies when you're having fun, Chuck and Hailey were indeed having a great time during their first trip to Vegas. They decided to take a break from the tables and get some fresh air while taking in the sights courtesy of the limosuine provided by the hotel, standing up through the small opening to really look at the sights waving to those that either stared or just waved for the heck of it. Something caught the corner of Chuck's eye as he saw three black suburban SUV's come flying down the other side of the road, he caught the license plate of the first vehicle just before it passed when trouble started. Seconds later two things happened, the SUV's executed U-turns and Chuck felt the Intersect fire up. Collapsing into the limo holding his head gave Hailey great concern. She quickly looked at him, checking his face and his eyes to see if he's okay.

Hailey: "Chuck, what's going on? You nearly scared me for a second there, I thought you're having a medical seizure or worse a heart attack."

Chuck had a scared look in his eyes that immediately put Hailey on alert.

Chuck: "Sweetheart, those three SUV's have license plates that's registered to the NSA. It looks like they found us, more importantly to them they found their precious Intersect. We gotta get out of here before they box us in."

They felt the limosuine hit the brakes hard once the SUV's boxed them in, knowing they had one chance to get out. Once they felt the limo stop completely, Chuck and Hailey emerged from the backdoors to run before the agents could grab them. They took off down the road looking for places to use for cover and dodge the agents, they quickly found a place that's open and immediately ran inside to hide. Stopping to catch their breaths and make sure everything's okay, Hailey turned Chuck's face to look in his eyes, she could see he's back okay. She hugged him and held on for dear life, he gently lifted her head up to see the worry in her eyes. She whispered to him, not really hearing someone else in the room.

Hailey: "If you scare me like that again, I'm never going to forgive you! Promise me, you won't keep any secrets from me?"

Chuck: "I promise."

He saw tears in her eyes and brushed them away before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he couldn't help himself looking at how beautiful she was. Once again someone was asking a question close by, but Chuck's too focused on Hailey to notice. He whispered softly to her.

Chuck: "You do realize we could be here a while?"

Hailey: "I do..."

Suddenly, they were cheers and an organ started playing making Chuck and Hailey jump. Holding on to each other, they immediately became aware of their surroundings. A man took a picture of them, a couple of people threw bags of rice at them, and an older woman asked them to sign this paper along with needing their ID's. The confused couple still wondering what's going on signed the paper and handed over their driver's licenses, the woman accepted the items before she signed and stamped the paper. Wondering what's going on, they looked down and noticed. Both of them had a matching set of gold wedding bands on their finger and the stamped paper they signed, upon closer review read: "Certificate Of Marriage" with their names and tonight's date. In a state of disbelief at what happened, Hailey figured there's one thing left to do as she looked back at her new husband.

Hailey: "Chuck, you forgot to kiss the bride. Come on and pucker up Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck: "Well in that case, I better remedy that situation Mrs. Bartowski."

Chuck and Hailey shared their first kiss as husband and wife. They knew this would happen eventually, just not in a Vegas quickie. Hailey's phone started vibrating from an incoming text, once she read the message. Her eyes got wide and showed Chuck, he reacted the same and softly muttered those famous words when you know you're in deep trouble.

Chuck: "Oh boy."

Once they recovered and stepped outside making sure the coast was clear, they started back towards the strip holding hands as the shock has yet to wear off. This definitely was something they needed to discuss further, considering this wasn't part of their plans. It definitely showed that you needed to be aware of your surroundings at all time! They looked back up into each others eyes to gauge what the other was feeling, when they heard the unmistakable sounds of gun chambers being racked. Chuck and Hailey had been cornered by six NSA agents.

Agent #1: "Hands up and don't move, you're both under arrest!"

Hailey: "Under arrest? On what charges?"

Agent #2: "Kidnapping an important government asset, assaulting a federal agent, resisting arrest, aiding a threat to national security. Shall I go on?"

Chuck: "Are you kidding? Those charges are ludicrous! This has Beckman written all over it!"

Agent #3: Both of you will have a nice time where we're taking you. When the General gets done with you two, you'll be lucky to see the sun again!"

Chuck: "You're putting us in an underground bunker? That's insane!"

Agent #1: "Shut up Bartowski! You brought this on yourself! Now you and your terrorist girlfriend here, will be detained underground for the rest of your life!"

Hailey: "Terrorist? I'm an American Naval Officer you scumbag! If you're NSA, that's on orders to arrest and put us into custody. I can promise you, that's not going to happen! You definitely don't have the authority for such a thing."

Agent #2: "We're the NSA, we can do whatever we please! Now let's go, you're only making things harder on yourselves."

Out of no where, a convoy of eight black Humvees arrived on the scene. As a force of forty men came out of them, heavily armed assault rifles pointed at them. The NSA Agents didn't like these odds at all, they tried to intimidate with their federal weight.

Agent #1: "We're federal agents with the NSA! By the orders of General Beckman, I'd advise for you all to back down. You're interfering with a sanctioned government operation."

David: "It's in your best interest to stand down agents, you're in a no-win situation and you're following unlawful orders. Otherwise, you will face serious consequences for your actions."

Agent #2: "On who's authority? I will have you reported to the General, she'll chew you out for questioning her orders!"

David: "That'd be my authority! You spooks think you're above the law, because you work for the CIA or NSA? News flash, you're wrong on both accounts! Get your precious General on the phone, you think I'm worried about her reading me the riot act for not listening to you agents? Be my guest! She doesn't scare me at all!"

Agent #4: "You sir must be one crazy or stubborn person. You've no idea who you're tangling with! She'll throw you in custody so fast, you'll never see the sun again! Just like these two!"

Chuck: "David he's right, Beckman's ruthless like a dictator."

David: "Oh believe me Chuck, I know how to handle them. These idiots here, and yes that's exactly what you agents are! Idiots!"

Agent #1: "You better watch your mouth! Who ever you are, Beckman's going to enjoy having you for breakfast for disrespecting her agents."

David: "I'm not worried or scared of your precious Beckman. Tell you what, you call her and I call my boss. That's if you really want to make this a political pissing contest! I guarantee that everyone involved won't be happy! Especially your boss! You wanted to know why I have the authority to order your stand down? Let me show you point blank my identification!"

David reached into one of his pockets and opened up the wallet to showcase his Military ID.

David: "Since proper introductions were never made, because you wanted to throw your federal weight around. My name's Vice-Admiral David Smith! The details of my job are beyond your pay grades and current security levels. I already have evidence on the illegal operations your agency's running against Mr. Bartowski here, and the second point is that both NSA and CIA have zero operational authority on U.S. soil! That's a direct violation of Executive Order #12333! Now stand down and go back to where you slithered out from, or you'll be detained on my authority until my boss has been notified to deal with this situation personally."

The reluctant agents had no choice. They're surrounded and on the bad side of the numbers game by a 7 to 1 ratio, Beckman wouldn't be pleased with this failure. The agents retreated back to their SUV's and drove away. David looked back to the men that accompanied him.

David: "Thanks for the assist Master Sergant, I appreciate it."

MSGT: "No problem sir, just glad to help."

The convoy loaded back up and headed back to their destination, David looked concerned at Chuck and Hailey.

David: "Are you both okay?"

Hailey: "I'm okay, I was more worried about Chuck. Why did they want him so bad?"

Chuck: "Because I'm under the protection of Sarah and Casey, on a joint CIA/NSA operational project that it's highly classified."

David: "Stop right there Chuck, we can discuss this later at a better time and place. The most important thing right now is that you two are safe."

Chuck: "How did you know we were in trouble?"

Gambino: "You can thank Wildfire and Mav for that. Remember when they dressed as exterminators? Mav and Fire infiltrated Casey's apartment to give them a taste of their own medicine, Casey has a couple of audio and video bugs placed around his equipment for our own surveillance."

Artman: "The facial recognition system they use found out you were here. Casey alerted Beckman to that information, she ordered him to contact the local NSA branch of operations to detain you instead of tasking Casey for three reasons. One, was the time factor as it would take an hour to fly here. Second, would be the risk of recognizing him on sight. Third, and most logical. The local team wouldn't have alerted you, until they had you cornered."

Maverick: "Since you knew Casey could monitor you. I had it programmed to send me alerts when there's activity of his systems, we became aware of it when he contacted Beckman. Now we know who she is, and what her plans are for you both. That gives us the advantage of countering any moves they make."

David: "We've seen the hands they played, we're just biding our time until it's time to strike."

Hailey: "So what are we going to do now? Those agents are sure to come back and try again."

Wildfire: "I wouldn't count on that, your father here laid the law down on them. We could see by their faces, any repeated attempts would be futile."

Hollywood: "Now we can all just head back to San Diego now, or just enjoy our time here in good 'ol Vegas. Don't worry, we're not going to impede on any of your fun."

Chuck: "No offense guys, those agents coming after us definitely ruined my mood."

Gambino: "Yeah spooks can be real killjoys. Well at least join us in the casino for a little bit. If you're still not feeling better, you can head back up to your room."

Chuck was thinking about it before turning his eyes over to Hailey.

Chuck: "What do you want to do? I know you're just as drained as me emotionally."

Hailey: "Yeah I am, but Gambino's right. Maybe joining them for a little bit will brighten our mood, but we should freshen up a bit before we do anything."

Everyone gathered into the humvees, to make their way back to the casinos for some fun while they still can. David glanced in the mirror watching Chuck and Hailey huddled up together, they were really shaken by the encounter. He promised himself that Beckman's gonna pay for this.


	18. Chapter 18

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 18: FOLLOWING DAY FALL-OUT (PART 1)

MANDALAY BAY / LAS VEGAS, NV

Chuck Bartowski was laying in the plush king-sized bed, enjoying the best night of sleep he's had perhaps in his whole life. He took a deep breath and inhaled the cinnamon scent from his new wife's hair, that's definitely something he could get used to. The feeling of his arms wrapped around her was very pleasant, he than realized this was something he never wanted to end. It's certainly a change of events for him, after everything he's endured the last five years. From getting kicked out of Stanford and having no self-esteem or confidence, to working at a lowly electronics store making $11.50/hr. He started to crawl his way back up when he first met Hailey, that fateful day at Santa Monica Beach. Since that time they stayed in touch during her deployment and he spent two weeks with her. Chuck Bartowski felt like he'd been given a a lifeline to climb out, that's before life decided to pile more on top of him. In the form of the cursed Intersect, courtesy of his nemesis Bryce Larkin.

He no longer had any privacy as a result, trapped in what he'd come to realize was nothing more than a meaningless relationship. The cover was just that, an act to make his friends and sister think he met a wonderful girl that wanted to date him. He kicked himself countless times for not revealing his relationship to Hailey, knowing that Ellie wouldn't understand why he's dating a girl that lived across the country and had been gone for six months. Because of Sarah and Casey's appearance into his life, he sacrificed his heart to keep her from being involved knowing they would see her as a threat and keep them separated.

He resigned himself to the fact that his life was over. The government would keep him under their thumb until they decided to place him in an underground bunker, or a bullet through the head. Either way he wouldn't see Hailey, his family, or friends again. For the next month they ran missions. Which were successful from an operational viewpoint until things changed after the diamond mission. He needed to figure things out, and the only place to do that was the one place that always helped. The beach jetty down near the pier at Santa Monica Beach.

It was here at his spot while wishing that something would happen to change his life around, when the unspoken prayer was answered. Fate must've heard, or at least answered it when he accidentally ran into what he thought were complete strangers. Perhaps it was the sign he was looking for as his gut instinct told him to trust these men. It turned out to be the right decision, they turned out to be friends he met once and they remembered him from Hailey. One simple accident ended up giving him hope for the future, one that he never dreamed could happen after everything in his life. He had been tasked to handle a computer issue in San Diego and upon his arrival, they introduced him to one of the wealthiest men in the world in the form of A.J. Casino, who owned one of the most recognized five-star resort chains in the world.

He was also introduced to a kind man and his wife that saw the potential in him, much like Hailey and his friends did. In just two days, he went from down on his luck working at Buy More and expelled from Stanford for cheating to having a high paying job for the next month with the potential for more work. His academic record's wiped clean of the black mark, and he'd been awarded his degree! The obvious cherry on top of this fantastic sundae, came in the form of having a reunion with Hailey. When he saw her again, his mind went through a flashback to their first meeting. He remembered how beautiful she was, the spark in her shining bright blue eyes were definitely hypnotic, but that killer smile she had would light up her face, and most of all that care-free personality. He'd been hooked at first sight, this time when their eyes met he knew she'd have to know everything. Once he explained everything during their private talk. She vowed to him that whatever came their way, would be faced together. Spooks be damned. He realized at that moment, they wouldn't be separated no matter what the government tried.

That next morning he had to get a wardrobe upgrade because of his new career. He had to suffer through nearly three hours of shopping with three beautiful women, she stayed by his side. Most men would rather be subjected to the pain of getting a body wax job, instead of enduring a shopping spree with their women. Chuck would've thought the same too, because of Ellie's habit of dragging him and Devon around. Almost constantly, she'd get to the point of embarrassing him with comments on clothes. Hailey on the other hand never did that, even when she picked out a few different styles of boxers! What almost got him was she would make it up to him later, that's if they should stop by Victoria's Secret. Once at the resort after the shopping was done, the talk centered around the upcoming confrontations he would endure with his handlers and his sister for the new changes in his life.

The point was made about Chuck needed to be accompanied by a female for the trip back after the fight with Sarah on the phone, Hailey was the obvious reasons why she would be the one to do it. Everyone around agreed because they all knew about their history together and after seeing them return from their private chat, they knew those two were back together. When they were at his sister's apartment, Ellie kept berating him repeatedly to the point he finally yelled back at her in pure anger.

Hailey not only calmed him down multiple times, she also showed her support when they were back on the private jet after everything. When Casino had the second private jet show up to take them away for the rest of the day, she wanted to surprise him with this trip to Vegas. Before they even made it to the hotel to check in, he made a slip of the tounge about bringing her back here in the future and she called him on it asking if he was serious. Chuck could've easily said the future was always in motion. Instead of using the Yoda line, he told her about his feelings for her and voiced his concerns that's evidently a big part of her career.

She assured him that despite the huge risks, the rewards were just as plentiful. Sharing the story of her parents with him, she explained the bond it gave them and above all else that's what made the relationship stronger than most married couples because it was open and complete trust in each other. After giving the speech, he turned around and asked her the same phrase she always heard growing up from her parents. Knowing how much those few words meant to her, it clinched the future for them. This was something they wanted and would do everything they could in their power to make it work, even if it meant both of them would be taking that journey to hell and back together.

After checking into the hotel and getting their room, they headed for the casino to enjoy the experience of it. The whole time there had been great and he continued being the perfect gentlemen he always had been. Never once did he try anything he could use to possibly take advantage of her, even though both of them were getting a little tipsy. The night came close to ending in disaster when he saw the NSA vehicles. The fear of being taken away from her to an underground bunker was upon him, making a run for it before evading their captors while hiding inside unknown to them one of those 24 hour wedding chapels. Once they thought they were safe, they asked each other a question despite hearing other voices and their answers turned into what was interpreted as vows to one another. Once the other people around them made more noise did they realize what just happened.

After the second standoff with the NSA agents, thank goodness their family had came to the rescue. When everyone went back to the casino with them, Chuck and Hailey were both glad that their impromptu wedding minutes before the standoff wasn't revealed for the moment. They kept their left hands hidden or covered with each other's hand to disguise it as simple act of holding hands, their mood improved knowing they were safe from harm in the company of the others. A couple of hours later, they called it a night. Once they went to their room, they felt the exhaustion of the evening's events. That didn't prevent Chuck from doing one thing that surprised Hailey. She had just fished out the room key from her purse when all of a sudden, Chuck scooped her up in his arms into a carry.

She looked wide-eyed at him as he calmly explained, tradition stated that he had to carry her over the threshold since they're married. After holding the door open and wrapped her arms around his neck, Chuck carried Hailey into their suite before gently laying her down on the bed. The look in their eyes conveyed so much emotion, he could see the love shining in her eyes for him. He kissed her gently on the lips before she tightened her hold on him immediately. From that point, they let nature take it's course and let the passionate beast roam free. From that point on, It truely became their highlight of the night. One they'll never forget in their lives.

CIA HEADQUARTERS / LANGELY, VA

Deputy Director Clayton Webb had arrived early to his office this morning. Ever since the computer that housed the Intersect database was destroyed, everything that'd been gathered ended up being sent to Los Angeles via email no doubt. All courtesy of the traitor, known as Bryce Larkin. He started paying very close attention to what's been going on with operations, when he found a startling discovery. It appeared that the once classified Omaha Project, that was scraped due to the failure of finding the perfect host for it's purposes had been found.

He did some more digging and found something, that even made him disgusted. He done some nefarious things back in the day, when he was a field agent before having some unfortunate run-in's with a few people. Just thinking about it, made him gently check his nose to make sure it's not broken. Checking over every report gathered on the current joint CIA/NSA operation, that's being conducted by the two rival agencies. He still couldn't believe that Graham would willingly work together with Beckman.

It came as no surprise that he'd been contacted by a good friend of his in San Diego. It provided him with even further updates, and alerted him of the situation of what's been going on. He agreed to help him out, by uncovering the classified information that was sealed up for an investigation. It discovered the real reason why Larkin had planted the evidence, to get the Bartowski kid expelled from Stanford in the first place.

The whole Omaha Project had been wasted, because his friend was able to do something he couldn't. The operation would've made him a favorite in the agency, he saw the video of the excuse that Bartowski's moral compass would be a weakness. Webb had to laugh at the pitiful excuse, you'd have to do terrible things in this line of work. He knew if Chuck understood that you could still be an effective agent, while maintaining your core values. He would be fine.

He started hearing rumblings that the engineers and scientists, who built the original Intersect was in the processing of building a second version of the computer. That set off warnings in his head. He knew exactly what meant for this Bartowski guy. He wasn't a fool, the government agencies would see this unfortunate man as a loose end. The only way to tie up the loose ends, was by bullet or bunker. This innocent young man didn't deserve to be treated like collateral damage, because of Beckman's sour and holier than thou attitude. He began looking through the surveillance videos attached, sent to him courtesy of his friends outside of the agency. He could get even more information, than what's being reported around HQ.

He watched the Buy More videos, noticing the seriousness of the actions from the agents and the other people involved. The video from Casey's apartment with the conference call being disconnected, only to reconnect with the music video. He'd been enjoying his scotch, when the video of what happened at the beach and the after math made him spit out his drink. He'd re-watch the video a few more times, laughing at their reactions. He knew Graham and Beckman wouldn't find any of this amusing, he had to admit it was hysterical. To see the pride of the two agencies getting played, being shown to look like a couple of amateurs by this group.

He noticed two files popped up, it's footage from during the night. One was of Casey reporting to Beckman, telling her of the location of their missing asset in Las Vegas. The other file was the confirmation from her, one of the NSA teams stationed in Vegas would be given orders to take the asset and his companion into custody to an underground bunker. Zooming in to get a closer look of the video, he watched as these NSA agents had indeed surrounded Bartowski and a female. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked on who she was. Watching what transpired next between them, reinforcements had arrived in the form of 8 humvees with 40 soldiers pouring out of them with weapons drawn creating a standoff. He saw the confrontation between one of the men and a couple of agents, after a few minutes the NSA agents had reluctantly backed down to retreat back to their station. Once the man's face was shown, he about crapped himself. This was a priority one alert!

Webb quickly gathered up everything, saved all the video information on a flash drive before grabbing his coat. He dialed a number on his cell phone, and explained that he needed to meet with him as it was an urgent matter that required his immediate attention. Getting the gruff answer to report to him, Webb dialed another number and repeated the same thing while telling him where he was headed. The other voice told him to meet him there, and they'd go over this situation together. Webb knew without a doubt that things will definitely be hitting the fan on this, he was glad that it wasn't his nose this time.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey and Sarah Walker were standing inside his apartment, the briefing on the latest intelligence reports concerning their still missing asset.

Beckman: "During the night, as Agent Casey discovered courtesy of our facial recognition software program. The asset was spotted in Las Vegas, still in the company of his female companion. We sent a team to detain both the Intersect and the woman. As you can see from this surveillance video, our agents had them contained. Until the arrival of an outside force. This is getting out of hand! I want to find out who these threats are to this operation, the consistent interference from this group has gone on long enough!"

Sarah: "Ma'am, we have confirmation that the asset will be back in San Diego tonight. His location will be at a very prestigous nightclub."

Beckman: "How reliable is your source of this information? Can it be trusted?"

Sarah: "Yes ma'am, my source is the asset's sister Ellie Bartowski. I also learned that it's been revealed, an investigation conducted on behalf of the asset. Stanford's agreed to remove the expulsion from his record and awarded him his degree in a settlement. It should also be noted that the settlement included a huge sum of money, deposited into an unknown account for the asset. Some of it was used to pay off both his sister's and her boyfriend's student loans, along with purchasing their apartment as a gift for them."

Graham: "This is very disturbing indeed, you'll need to convince the asset's sister on letting you in on the location of this place that Bartowski's attending."

Sarah: "Sir, there's no need to convince her for anything. She's a big supporter of my cover with the asset despite his recent actions, she confided in me that her and her boyfriend were invited down to this location. They're sending a limosuine to pick them up, and a private jet that will transport them down to San Diego. Ellie's been a very unexpected ally, given how much she loves her brother. She made it a point to invite both me and Casey to accompany them down there, I could tell that Devon wasn't too thrilled with this news."

Casey: "That's stating the obvious Walker, he's the only one that's supported Bartowski since the whole thing started. Given how Ellie's behaved, she's been acting like she's your sister instead of Bartowski."

Beckman: "I want the asset back under our control! If he refuses to comply, I want you to use any means necessary to secure Bartowski! This defiance has gone on long enough, we need the Intersect back where he belongs! Either with his handlers, or an underground bunker for the rest of his life! As for those other threats, I want them eliminated!"

Beckman angrily pushed the button to end the conference, Casey looks over to Sarah.

Casey: "I certainly hope you're ready for this, you know that it's not going to be easy."

Sarah: "If you're going to worry about someone Casey, you'd better worry about Chuck. If we get anywhere near him enough to talk, I'm going to drag him out of there myself in front of everybody. No one, not even that damn skank will get in my way!"

Casey just looked at Sarah like she'd gone over the edge, he could understand she's certainly determined for this. However, he knew they're going into the lion's den and the numbers would be heavily against them. He knew they'd better have back up, otherwise they would be the ones eliminated.


	19. Chapter 19

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 19: FOLLOWING DAY FALL-OUT (PART 2)

BOB HOPE AIRPORT / BURBANK, CA

The Gulfstream G650ER rolled into the airport to be serviced after arriving from Las Vegas, it'd been a very strange night for the occupants, they had to drop everything and rush to the rescue of Chuck and Hailey because of the NSA. They figured that they could handle two pieces of business while they were here, one would be to handle the transportation of Ellie and Devon as promised. David's cell phone buzzed alerting him to a text, he looked down and saw it was an urgent message, he dialed the number of the person who called him. Listening carefully he nodded in understanding. Jackson became fully aware of what's been transpiring over the past month, most especially in the last few days including the reason for the trip to Vegas just 12 hours ago. The decision was made, and heads will be rolling!

David: "This just keeps getting better and better."

Wildfire: "What's going on King?"

David: "Looks like Spider's uncovered more things than what we knew about, he's alerted the Bald Eagle himself. Let's just say his reaction was so hot, it would melt Antartica."

Khaos: "Well at least we didn't cause it this time, but that doesn't mean we're safe."

David: "Not really, he's going to finish up everything that's planned for today and grab his flight to San Diego. When we're at the club later tonight, he'll be at the resort. Once things go down from what he's heard, he'll come to the club and get to the bottom of this."

Hollywood: "Which means the spooks, who's been causing all this drama will be in serious crap. What do you think might happen?"

David: "Don't know, and don't really want to. They made a mess all on their own, without us having to do anything. All we did was defend our own, and that's the most important thing."

Maverick: "Was it just me, or did Chuck and Hailey act very strange last night? I could certainly understand being shaken up from being surrounded by those spooks, but it's like something else entirely that seemed to be the issue."

David: "Hard to say. They've been through the ringer these last two days, from what happened in the Buy More and earlier tonight with the spooks. From their faces, it could be exhaustion combined with the shock of what transpired. It's not everyday you expect to be in a standoff with a few spooks on the streets of Las Vegas. They just need a good night sleep."

Gambino: "You know we could always make a run to the Buy More, we wasn't able to purchase our stuff because of what happened. Since Chuck won't be there, we can get our gear and make his old boss happy with a hefty sales day. After all, we'd just taken Chuck away from them."

David: "Excellent idea, Casino left me the card for emergency. He wanted to get those items from before so let's close the deal. I can have him contact the store to alert them of our arrival, and the huge amount that's going to be spent. Now if there's nothing else that we need to discuss, let's move out people. I got calls to make and people to irritate!"

Artman: "You're the boss."

David: "Damn right I am, and don't any of you ever forget it!"

The six men disembarked from the jet and headed inside to get three rental cars for their adventure, it was decided to split up and take up a post at three different targets. One to keep an eye on Echo Park, another to keep tabs on Ellie and Devon at Westside Medical, and the last to the Buy More. After what happened during the night, they wasn't about to take any chances as it came to the spooks. It was time to take it up to the next level.

MANDALAY BAY / LAS VEGAS, NV

After spending half the morning in bed, Chuck and Hailey spent the afternoon shopping in the vast stores. They're getting treated to a wonderful experience, with the couples package the hotel spa provided. They definitely needed it, after what they've been through in the last 24 hours. Knowing they'd have to return to San Diego for tonight because it was the plan. They knew that included seeing everybody, his sister and Devon counted among them. He also figured Ellie would make sure to get Sarah included. The road's going to be a little rough going forward, but the smile that began creeping up his face gave him comfort that he won't be alone. Hailey would be right there standing beside him and whatever crosses their path, they'll face together from now on and well into the future. He walked up behind her smiling while she finished getting ready, she smiled to herself when she felt his arms wrap around her waist before feeling Chuck's lips against the back of her neck. He followed that up by trailing kisses to her cheek. Leaning back into him with them standing cheek to cheek, she looked at their reflection in the vanity mirror seeing how wonderful and happy they looked.

Hailey: "You ready to go Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck: "Well I can't rush perfection, especially when she looks like an angel. There's one more thing I want to give you."

Chuck handed Hailey a long thin box that she guessed contained some kind of jewelery, like a necklace or something along the lines. She opened it and saw a beautiful bracelet inside.

Chuck: "This was the last thing I ever had as a reminder of my Mom, it's a family heirloom. I was saving it until I met the girl of my dreams that I would marry someday, I think it's very safe to say Hailey that you are indeed the girl of my dreams."

Hailey: "Well you don't have to worry about marrying me Chuck. We've already done that part of the deal, even though it wasn't really our intention at that time."

Chuck: "That's true we wasn't planning on taking that step just yet, but the thought did cross my mind when I was planning on giving you the bracelet. You already know that I have your family's blessing when your Dad talked to me at the resort after everything. I meant every word I said to him when he asked me about my feelings for you."

Hailey: "That's really sweet of you Chuck, you sure you really want to marry me?"

Chuck: "When we're ready and time enables us to. We can have a wedding that's more to our liking, instead of something that's just ambushed us. I guess we're about to really take on that journey, are you with me Hailey?"

Hailey: "To hell and back baby."

Chuck: "Good, I wouldn't want it any other way."

Hailey: "Flattery won't get you anywhere, at least not right now sweetheart."

Chuck: "When would it get me anywhere?"

Hailey: "Maybe when we get back to San Diego, we can't afford to be late tonight."

Chuck: "You're right as usual. Well in that case, shall we go Mrs. Bartowski?"

Hailey: "We shall Mr. Bartowksi."

Chuck extended his arm up as Hailey looped her's through and latched on to his hand as they exited their room, everything was already secured with their luggage. They headed towards the private elevator taking them to the lobby, and from there the limosuine ride to the airport.

BURBANK BUY MORE / BURBANK, CA

Morgan was standing at the Nerd Herd kiosk trying to talk to Anna, who just ignored him while she was logging invoices. Artman and Gambino easily spotted them, as they were walking up to them as Morgan's eyes got huge at the sight of these two men. Anna noticed what could shut up Morgan's crazy talk before her eyes looked up, seeing the amusement on the new arrivals.

Anna: "Welcome to the Buy More gentlemen, what can we help you with today?"

Gambino: "Hello Anna, we were came here yesterday to do some shopping with Chuck."

Anna: "That's great you decided to choose this store for your shopping, unfortunately Chuck's no longer employed here."

Artman: "We know that tidbit, in fact Chuck owes his new life to you. The switching of schedules had enabled him to do that job for one of our friends in San Diego."

Anna: "Nobody deserves it more than Chuck, I'm just glad that his abilities had finally been recognized. So what can we do for you today?"

Gambino: "Well we need to get some items since we relocated out here with some friends, we had to leave some essentials behind and need to re-stock ourselves. Besides, it's always good to have a spare system or two."

Artman: "You're right on that bro, especially if you encounter the infamous 'red ring of death' on the box."

They watched both Anna's and Morgan's eyes light up at the obvious gaming reference of the crashing of the Xbox360 system, Morgan quickly recovered after the chuckling from Artman and Gambino brought him back to Earth.

Morgan: "Whoa! I didn't think guys like you were into games. Oh, I'm Chuck's best friend Morgan by the way."

Gambino: "Nice to meet you Morgan. As far as gaming goes, we go way back to the older systems than what's out there now. We grew up in the last days of Atari 2600 and the beginning of the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis."

Artman: "Ah yes, to us it's the 'Glory Days of Gaming'. All night gaming until 7am and the weekend tournaments, man the 80's and 90's were truly a fun time being a kid. Of course the music was the best era ever!"

Anna: "Jeff and Lester are also gamers with us, Morgan didn't Chuck write some kind of game program or something like that back in college?"

Morgan: "Yeah when him and Bryce were still friends, they wrote their own version of Zork using a TRS-80 computer."

Artman: "Really? First home computer I had was a TRS-80, of course computers were only in Radio Shack's and schools back then. Some cool games though for that period."

Anna: "You guys said you needed to get some things, what's on your list? I'm sure we can find everything you're looking for."

Gambino: "We need Xbox360 consoles, more specifically the Elite system. I don't have to specify that it's the one with the 120GB hard drive do I?"

Anna: "No you don't sir, we're all gamers. What else is on the list?"

Gambino: "Cooling tower fans and extra controllers, but most importantly we need big screen TVs no less than 42 inches"

Morgan: "How many we talking about?"

Artman: "Oh not that many, just 40 for all the rooms."

Gambino: "Don't forget we're gonna need the same amount of copies for two games that's definitely a must. Rainbow Six: Vegas and Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation."

Artman: "Rainbow looks to be okay, I'm waiting for Vegas 2 to hit. Looks to be tight."

Morgan: "Reviews on that game are way up there, hey me and Chuck were gonna do some COD sometime."

Gambino: "Well in that case, throw in 40 copies of COD4."

Anna and Morgan just went slack-jawed at the requested quantity of the items, Artman and Gambino just chuckles at their expressions. Gambino clasped Morgan's shoulder to lead him away in search of the items while Artman stayed behind with Anna to setup the paperwork and work out the delivery, Casey just finished moving his eighth Beastmaster of the week when he noticed the Nerd Herd desk had a rather unique customer. He decided to investigate and moved closer to watch, when Morgan was chatting non-stop with another customer.

Morgan: "Dude you guys are awesome!"

Artman: "Don't let Devon hear you say that Morgan, he might get mad."

Morgan looked a little worried about that, and the fact they know the Captain spoke volumes of their knowledge of his best friend. Gambino patted Morgan on the back.

Gambino: "Don't worry Morgan, you're secret's safe with us."

Anna: "Did you find everything that you were looking for?"

Gambino: "Morgan was very helpful and so were you Anna, we got everything we needed. I think Big Mike's going to be pleased when he sees the inventory of what we purchased with the bossman's money."

Morgan: "Your boss let you purchase all of this with his money? Isn't he going to be mad, for spending so much? I mean if we did that, all of us would be in prison for life!"

Artman: "What we got was basically a pebble, compared to what he usually buys."

Harry Tang chose that moment to make his appearance by walking up behind Morgan.

Tang: "Grimes! You get paid to work, not to stand around chit-chatting when there's customers that need our assistance."

Morgan: "Actually Harry, I just returned with this gentleman here from purchasing some items and we're finalizing the paperwork right here for delivery."

Tang: "You expect me to believe that? Just what kind of fool do you take me for?"

Artman: "About the kind who's IQ is below that of the stereotypical dumb jock, who gets his jollies off bullying others. Sounds about right bro?"

Gambino: "Certainly does homie, you know what they say happens to bullies?"

Anna: "What's that?"

Gambino: "They run into an even bigger bully, one that's meanier and scarier."

Gambino takes a step closer to Tang as he said each word, now standing directly nose-to-face looking down at him with an evil grin on his face. Tang visibly gulps before fearfully runs off in the opposite direction letting out a girlish scream when Gambino growled at him, the action draws laughter from Anna and Morgan when Big Mike thunders over holding the sales report.

Big Mike: "Grimes! What's this I see about this report for delivery of 42-inch big screens, XBox360 Elite systems, games, and accessories with a quantity of 40 each? This some kind of joke?"

Anna: "Actually sir, Morgan and me had assisted these gentlemen. They were about to have me call you over for the payment."

Morgan: "That's right Big Mike. These two men here asked for the items, and I helped them with obtaining the items they desired."

Big Mike: "Do you have any idea how much all of this would actually cost?"

Artman: "Yes sir, adding in the California sales tax the total's going to be $31,925.20 and to help ease the cost of fuel for the delivery. We'll ease the wallet for Buy More corporate and add a tip for the labor, for the nice tidy sum of $35,000. By the way, Mr. Casino said this card should cover it easily and to call him if you had any questions."

Big Mike, Morgan, and Anna looked like they were about to faint when they heard the card belonged to A.J. Casino. Big Mike remembered that he received a phone call earlier from the man himself saying two of his men would be making some purchases. It would require spending an obscene amount of money, to the point that it's considered to be really offensive.

Big Mike: "Please tell Mr. Casino thank you very much for making the biggest sale in all of Buy More history! I need to get back to my office, and get this report submitted to corporate."

Gambino: "We thought it was the least we could do for you. Chuck's done so much for your store and you helped him out when you needed it, Mr. Casino thought he could offer you some kind of compensation for that since he'll have Chuck working for him."

Big Mike: "Thank you for the great day gentlemen. Please thank your boss for me, don't be a stranger and tell Bartowski the same."

The gathered flock watched Big Mike run only like he could back to his office.

Artman: "On that note, time to grab some lunch. Our treat, what do you say?"

Anna: "Mine won't start for another hour, sorry guys."

Gambino: "Don't worry we'll get your's to go, Subway sound cool?"

Morgan: "Sounds great! Don't worry Anna, I can bring your's back for you."

Anna: "Thank you, enjoy the day you guys."

Artman: "Well if that's the case, let's roll out."

Morgan: "Transformers line, sweet!"

Gambino: "What can you say Morgan, we're more than meets the eye."

Morgan's mouth fell open with the second shot from a Transformers reference, he never would've imagined these huge men were this cool. If Chuck's working with them than maybe he could start turning his life around. Perhaps the next time they have a gaming night he can ask Chuck for advice, unless they wouldn't mind sharing some wisdom. All three of them left the Buy More for lunch as Casey kept an eye on them, he quickly texted Sarah letting her know that two of the threats were around and chances are they're going to keep tabs on the apartment.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Ellie Bartowski was never so glad to be home in her cozy apartment. She still couldn't believe her little baby brother now has a bright future ahead of him, and a career with very high potential for more. Now if she can get him straight on repairing the damage with Sarah on their relationship, that would make everything perfect. She checked the time and knew Devon would be home in a couple of hours since he was stuck in surgery, now would be the perfect time to get ready for tonight. She texted Sarah telling her to meet at the spa, if they're going to San Diego together for a night out and see Chuck. Things would have to be done just right, and maybe the treatments from there would definitely help Sarah lure Chuck away from that Hailey girl. After changing out of her scrubs, she put on a casual shirt and jeans when she heard a knock at the door. Stepping over she was certainly surprised to see Sarah there so fast.

Ellie: "Sarah! Please come in, I didn't think you would be here so fast."

Sarah: "I've been known to have a leadfoot sometimes, I crave the speed."

Ellie: "Devon's still at work, he was in the middle of handling a surgery. Left me leave him a note to let him know."

After writing her note for Devon and leaving it on the table for him to see when he gets back, Sarah texted Casey letting him know she's with Ellie and what they're about to do.

Ellie: "Well in that case. Are you ready to head to the spa, and make my brother see what he's solely been missing these last few days?"

Sarah: "I like the way you think Ellie, let's make this a night we'll never forget."

Ellie and Sarah leave Casa Bartowski heading towards her beloved Porsche, scouting the area she didn't see anything out of place. Unlocking the doors with the push of a button on her keychain, they climbed into the beautiful Porsche before heading down the road for a well deserved treatment.

MIRAMIR MCAS / SAN DIEGO, CA

A.J. Casino and Victor were standing next to the limosuine on the tarmac when the Gulfstream G650ER rolled to a stop, the two passengers disembarked at a speedy clip walking straight for the limo prompting both Casino and Victor to stand at attention giving them a salute. The taller of the two returned it as he looked on with a cold stare.

Jackson: "At ease. It's good to see you both, I just wish I had more time away from the drama that your group enjoys being in."

Casino: "Thank you sir. I hate to say this, but our guys are completely innocent this time around. We're merely being the defenders instead of the aggressors, I'm sure Spider's informed you already of what's been going on lately with my newest employee."

Spider: "He's already been aware of it, both of us and Boone were in that meeting."

Casino: "You mean CAG was in there? I think your agency directors didn't step into it with both feet, they more or less cannonballed their way in."

Jackson: "It doesn't matter which way you word it A.J., the bottom line is they have screwed the pooch on this and believe me heads are going to roll. Victor, good to see you again son."

Victor: "Pleasure as always sir, I have your room already setup to your liking in the Tower. Shall I store your luggage away sir?"

Jackson: "I'm quite capable enough to carry my travel bag Gunny, or did you forget who you're dealing with?"

Victor: "No sir, just being courteous is all. Comes with the job."

Jackson: "Understood, just don't do it again. Let's get this show on the road. If I'm going to have a drama-filled night, at least I want to get some chow first and a decent nap before I rip off some heads."

All four men climbed into the limosuine to take them back to Mission Beach, the time was drawing closer and the confrontation will be unforgettable for all parties.


	20. Chapter 20

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 20: GETTING READY TO RUMBLE

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Ellie Bartowski was bursting with happiness. Her and Devon were dressed with their finest outfits for what promises to be a great evening in San Diego, being invited to an exclusive night club with travel and accomodations provided by her little brother's new boss. She was looking forward to it knowing that Sarah was coming with them, she knew they're going to see and talk to him. She's determined to make Chuck understand, he doesn't have a choice in the matter. He'll talk with Sarah and work out their relationship issues, regardless of what anybody else says or thinks! She's his big sister and he's supposed to listen to her, that's the way it is. She knows she could pull an ultimatum as a last resort, but it could backfire if he calls her on it.

The ringing of the doorbell brought her back to the present. She opened the door to see Sarah looking radiant wearing a strapless red dress, knowing full well the effect it had on Chuck.

Ellie: "Wow! Sarah you look great! You're going to make it hard for Chuck to keep his eyes off you, especially when he sees you in this."

Sarah: "That's the plan isn't it Ellie? Besides, I know how much he loved seeing me in this particular dress. Let me work my magic, and he'll be back to himself in no time."

Casey exited his apartment wearing his normal black tuxedo and joined the crowd, Ellie and Sarah greeted him with pleasantries when Devon finally emerged from inside. The limosuine pulled up with two men exiting the vehicle making their way over to the group. Sarah and Casey recognized them from the Buy More, they stayed quiet knowing the chances of fulfilling their mission objective would be futile along with their cover being blown. However, the two men politely nodded at them and turned to face Ellie and Devon.

Hollywood: "Good evening Miss Bartowski. We've arrived to provide your transportation to Burbank, where Mr. Casino's private jet is waiting for you at Bob Hope. Once there and everyone's boarded, we'll depart on our journey to San Diego."

Ellie: "Thank you very much, I'm looking forward to meeting everyone there."

Khaos: "We're quite confident that you're going to enjoy your time there, shall we begin?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, Sarah and Casey watched the two men with wary eyes making their way into the limosuine before leaving for Burbank. Once inside the limo, Ellie and Sarah were chatting amongst themselves. Devon remained laid back thinking about what could possibly happen. He wanted to have a fun night out with his girlfriend, and to meet more of Chuck's new friends. He couldn't shake the feeling that once Ellie and Sarah were able to locate Chuck inside the crowded club, his evening of enjoyment may end due to the drama that the two women are more than capable of creating. Casey himself stayed quiet keeping his eyes on the move for anything out of the ordinary, he picked up on Devon's anxiety and couldn't blame him. He knew the mission was to locate the asset and detain him quickly, before anybody could interfere. An extraction team's already been activated, they're just waiting for his signal.

Fifteen minutes later, the limosuine arrived at the private terminal where the Gulfstream G650ER was waiting. Once the doors were opened, Khaos and Hollywood politely offered their assistance to Ellie and Sarah when they stepped out of the limosuine. Despite the fact these men were a national security threat, Sarah accepted the polite manners. They're making sure nothing happened, such as accidentally taking a step wrong in the brand new heels she's wearing. True she's worn heels enough, but anything could happen. Once Casey and Devon emerged, they were escorted up the stairs leading into the jet where they're greeted by more guests. Sarah and Casey sized up the scene, everyone they encountered from the Buy More was here. David decided to place everyone at ease immediately.

David: "Good evening everybody. I sincerely hope that you're prepared to have a good time tonight, the key for tonight is to have fun. You're all invited because of Mr. Casino's generousity and it's a chance for everyone, who certainly wanted to celebrate with Chuck on his new career adventure. This was an extended gift to everyone of you, so I strongly encourage you to make it a very pleasant one for your mutual friend. I hope we all understand one another."

David had been speaking to everybody. Although Ellie, Sarah, and Casey knew his words were directed to them. It's clear they're going to be watched. Sarah and Casey realized if they try anything stupid, it wasn't going to end well. After being addressed, they all nodded in a silent agreement that David was satisfied with. Everyone was seated when the engines fired up before rolling down the tarmac to begin the adventure in San Diego.

CLUB APOCOLYPSE / SAN DIEGO, CA

Chuck was taking in everything the upscale atmosphere of the club had to offer. The various levels and private area, along with an entertainment section that included pool tables and lots of televisions. Lights flashing, loud music playing, and people as far as the eye could see that showed Club Apocolypse was definitely the place to be. He noticed the bars spread out were packed with many guests ordering drinks and scantly-clad women were dancing on special-styled stages, the female servers could've easily been mistaken for supermodels and security around various points watching out for trouble. He was brought of his daze when he felt his hand being squeezed, he looked to see Hailey giving him a smile that made his heart flutter.

They were escorted upstairs to the top level, where a very special VIP Lounge was located. The security allowed them inside when they recognized Hailey, they encountered A.J. Casino surrounded by a few other guests. Casino decided that Chuck needed introductions.

Casino: "Chuck, we wanted you to know there's no need to worry. We'll make sure nothing will jeopardize your desired weekend of relaxation. I'd like you to meet Doomsday, he's the owner of this fine establishment.

Doomsday: "Welcome to Club Apocolypse, I'm sure you both are enjoying our little party."

Chuck: "Yes we are, thank you very much. I live near L.A. and I've never seen a night club of this magnitude if that tells you anything."

Hailey: "Sweetheart, there's a lot of things you're going to see with this group. Just imagine when you go to our home base. That's one place I never showed you, but you will soon."

Doomsday: "We aim to please the masses, on that note let me offer you this bit of advice. Just remember to kick back and relax, remember it's the weekend so have fun."

Casino: "I just got word that Ellie and Devon have arrived, apparently she invited your handlers with them. Don't worry about anything you two, we'll take care of everything."

Doomsday: "Moneybags is right Chuck, we have more than enough associates here to handle anything. You won't be in any danger, besides they'd be extremely stupid to try anything. Then again, this is the spooks we're talking about. Always said they're extremely low on brains!"

Chuck and Hailey thanked Doomsday and Casino. They made their way back downstairs to enjoy themselves, they seated themselves in one of the lounge areas watching the variety of people mingling around. Enjoying each other's company and looked to see some familiar faces getting served their drinks, some of their friends were gathered around the pool tables with others clearly enjoying some fun while exchanging some laughs. Once their drinks were finished, the music changed to allow all the couples a great chance to dance together. Chuck saw the look on Hailey's face and held out his hand to her, which she happily clasped before they made their way to the dance floor. Once there, she immediately closed the gap and laid her head on his chest while his arms automatically wrapped around her letting the music lead their movements.

Once Ellie and Devon excused themselves for some rounds on the dance floor, Casey and Sarah had split up to cover more ground in their search for Chuck. The next thirty minutes were spent by making their ways around the different levels, Casey went to the second floor to get a better view of the floor below him. His eyes roamed towards the pool tables and noticed some of those threats, he took note of the numbers gathered over there when something caught his eye. He looked to a nearby dancing area, upon closer inspection he found the target.

Casey: "Walker, I got eyes on the moron. He's on the dance floor nearest to the pool tables on the first floor, be advised he's slow dancing with that female from Buy More."

Sarah: "I'm on the way over there Casey. Let me grab Ellie, that way she can help occupy him. Try to do something to take care of that skank he's with!"

Casey: "Roger that."

Sarah saw Ellie and Devon making their way off the dance floor and hurried over to them.

Sarah: "I just found Chuck. He's on the dance floor over by the pool tables, he's not alone either just to let you know."

Ellie looked to see her brother dancing with someone really close. She couldn't see her face, but had the feeling it's that Hailey girl. Sarah started turning on the act, forcing herself to look extremely sad. It started working once Ellie turned back around, she seen the look on Sarah's face and decided now was the moment to confront her brother! With her face showing a determined scowl, she marched across the floor towards Chuck with fire in her eyes. Devon watched the entire event unfolding and knew it's trouble, he quickly followed in pursuit. Once the song was over, Chuck and Hailey headed back to their seats. After getting their glasses refilled, they toasted each other and exchanged a soft tender kiss that promised more for later. They were getting lost in each other's eyes, when the clearing of a throat broke the spell.

They looked up seeing Ellie standing there. Hands on her hips and a fierce scowl on her face, coming up to join them was Sarah with Devon not far behind. It's clear to him after he looked at their faces that Sarah pulled the act of crying, she had used on him before. Now she just used it on Ellie when he danced with his wife. His emotions were boiling as Hailey squeezed his hand when she felt the change within him, she noticed the determined women in front of them.

Ellie: "Oh my God Chuck! I can't believe this!"

Chuck: "First of all Ellie, what is it you can't believe? Secondly, what happened to respecting my wishes that I told you about?"

Ellie: "Don't you take that tone with me Charles Irving Bartowski!"

Hailey: "Ellie, this isn't the time or place to cause a scene! If you want to discuss things with Chuck, I suggest you follow me to one of the rooms we have here."

Ellie looked at Hailey with contempt in her eyes before they followed, making sure they'd pass the pool tables on the way to give a silent alert. Gambino was about to start a new game with a break yelling out "Doop" that turned some heads, couple of them saw Chuck and Hailey had some company. They quickly shot a text to others as Gambino lined up for his next shot with a grin on his face.

Khaos: "Bro, next time leave Grogan back at the Moose. At least you didn't jump the table this time when you did it."

Gambino: "True dat homie, but it served it's purpose. You see who's with Chuck and Hailey besides his sister?"

Artman: "Yeah we did. The spooks are here, and you'd better believe the big guys won't be happy about any of that."

They arrived at one of the rooms that's roped off. Hailey approached the security and whispered something to them, they unhooked the rope and opened one of the doors to allow entry. She led them inside before the door was closed, inside the very plush room were a couple of tables and some sofas. Chuck and Hailey sat in one of the sofas together, making the others sit a little further away to keep some distance between them. Ellie continued glaring at the two, when Hailey spoke up.

Hailey: "Now that we're away from prying eyes and ears. What's your problem Ellie! Or do I know already, after seeing who you brought!"

Sarah: "Nobody asked you skank! I don't care who the hell you think you are! Your days of being with Chuck are over with starting now!"

Chuck: "Sarah, I suggest you shut your mouth up right now! You'll have your chance to address me! Right now, I want to hear Ellie's reason for starting this drama!"

Sarah and Ellie were both taken back by Chuck's raised voice, they'd never heard him this angry and it's not the first time the attitude change showed itself.

Ellie: "Why didn't you tell me the investigation found Stanford in the wrong? They reached a settlement with you, that cleared your name and awarded you your degree."

Chuck: "You know the reasons why I didn't mention that. Not just because of the argument we had, I honestly didn't know the results until after we left. I'm sure David told you that news, since you're bringing it up now."

Ellie: "You know what this means Chuck! You can finally make steps towards a brighter future, now you can concentrate on working things out with Sarah..."

Chuck: "Ellie! Don't you dare start again with this! I have to focus on my job down here, it's a major workload I have to handle and I need to concentrate on doing the job right. I have to design and build the system to handle these upgrades as you know, that's not going to be easy and on top of that. I have to reconfigure the entire complex to have everything insync, you work in a hospital so you can try to imagine the work their IT staff has to do to keep everything running smoothly! I don't have a team to work with, that's why Casino paid me that much money! Not just one, but four resorts in total. I'm going to have very little down time to relax."

Everyone could see Ellie wasn't about to take no for an answer. She's determined to make her idiotic brother bend to her will, and accept her way of thinking if it's the last thing she does. She's his big sister and she knows what's best for him, most importantly a future with Sarah.

Ellie: "Now you will listen to me Charles Irving Bartowski!"

Chuck: "No Ellie! You will listen to me for once! I have the opportunity of a lifetime staring me in the face, and I'm not going to let it slip through my fingers! Especially because my sister can't butt out of my love life! This is something I need to concentrate on! Doors that were closed to me before, have now been opened. Now I have the possibility of going back to school and work towards my Masters, or perhaps my PhD later down the road."

Devon: "Dude, that's awesome! He's right El, you need to ease off."

Ellie: "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that you deserve this, and it would make things all that much better for a future for you and Sarah."

Chuck: "Easy there El, you're jumping way ahead there. The future's still in motion for me, that's just one option and there's more to explore. There's many things that will remain uncertain."

Ellie: "Everything will remain uncertain if you don't fix things with Sarah! She's a great girl, and you shouldn't let her go because of what happened! That's why you need to talk to her Chuck! You're going to lose out on having a wonderful life together with her, if you don't talk to her! I've seen how much she cares about you!"

Chuck: "Eleanor Faye Bartowksi, I'm going to ask you one last time. Please drop this subject, or else you're going to regret it!"

Everyone had caught Chuck calling out Ellie by her full name, they've never heard him say it out loud since they've known the siblings. It clearly showed how serious he was, his eyes had a cold glint in them as he'd been pushed to the breaking point. If Ellie didn't back down, it'll be the start of World War III between them. Something they never thought would happen, until Ellie's next words came out of her mouth.

Ellie: "No, I will not drop it Chuck! I'm your big sister! You're going to listen to me, no matter what! So quit being an idiot! You're very dense when it comes to women! I've always looked out for you! I protected you, because you're always getting into trouble! What's even worse is, you've been cheating on Sarah with Hailey since you came home from San Diego! I thought I taught you better than that! Clearly you don't have your head on straight! What's going to happen when things don't work out? Better yet, during one of her deployments. When she decides to find another guy, that could do more for her than you? It's going to be like Jill all over again! I'm not going be stuck taking care of you again for another five years!"

Devon: "Ellie! I'm warning you, back off now! You're going too far on this!"

Ellie: "No Devon, I'm not backing off! Chuck needs to realize that I know what's best for him! That means he needs to repair the damage he caused to his relationship with Sarah! She's his girlfriend for crying out loud! You're leave me no choice Chuck! Either you fix things with Sarah, or find a new place to live! If you're not going to listen to me while you're living under my roof, than you can do what you want elsewhere! What's it going to be?"

Everyone became shocked that Ellie just thrown down the gauntlet, even Sarah was horrified. She herself couldn't believe Ellie would even think such a thing. Before she could say a word, Chuck responded angrily.

Chuck: "Well if that's the way you want it. Looks like my friends will be helping me pack everything I own, and relocate them to San Diego."

Sarah: "Chuck, please be reasonable. This can all be avoided, just do what Ellie asks. That's just talk to me and work our relationship out."

Chuck: "There's no us Sarah, there hasn't been for a while. You've got nobody to blame but yourself. The constant lying, trust issues, your temper that leads physical assault, and I never even mentioned about the other men I've seen you flirting with. Did you think I want to stick around now, especially when I have someone that really loves me?"

Sarah couldn't believe it. Chuck just told her in no uncertain terms, her control over him was indeed destroyed. He took their cover and put it through the shredder, even to the point of listing the numerous reasons. What hurt the most in having Ellie by her side, was the final nail in the coffin when he talked about the other men from previous missions. She saw her string of successful missions just vanish, the perfect record she was proud of broken. Devon couldn't believe Ellie pulled that stupid ultimatum. She has nobody to blame but herself, perhaps Chuck had the right idea of getting away from Ellie. He loves her, but right now he can't stand her. Maybe her "sister" Sarah should handle that job.

Devon: "I warned you Ellie. But you wouldn't listen to me, or Chuck for that matter. If you didn't let go of this vendetta you and Sarah had, things would've been better. You don't know when to stop with the attacks. You need help Ellie. Maybe Sarah can help you, or perhaps the two of you can enjoy living together in the apartment."

Ellie: "What are you saying Devon?"

Devon: "It's over Ellie. It's going to stay over, until you decide when to grow up. Clearly you haven't. I warned you when Chuck and Hailey left to let it go. You wouldn't listen then, and you didn't heed Mr. Casino's warning when he offered this trip. You made it a personal vendetta to make Chuck bow down to you, and lost more than you imagined. I'm packing my things too and moving out. Good bye Eleanor."

Chuck and Hailey got up from the sofa heading to leave when she stopped him, it looked like she had something to say after whispering in his ear. Turning around she addressed the group.

Hailey: "Devon, you're the only one that's cared enough to support Chuck through all of this. Not only have you been a great friend, you also welcomed me with open arms. You should know that I'm going to be a part of his life, for many years to come."

Sarah: "What do you mean years to come! Not if I have anything to say about it you skank!"

Hailey: "You don't have a say in his life anymore Barbie! Nobody does anymore, except for me and Chuck himself. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Especially to you Devon."

Looking at everyone, Hailey held Chuck's left hand up along with her left arm. Showing them not only the bracelet that Chuck gave her, but their new wedding rings from Vegas. What nobody else knew was during their little shopping trip before they left, Chuck took Hailey to one of the many shops and they found the perfect set of wedding bands to replace the ones from the chapel. These were the rings they wanted to wear when they set the date for their re-newed wedding for family and friends.

Hailey: "Nice to meet you Devon Woodcombe, my name's Hailey Bartowski. I'm sure you know my husband Chuck."

Ellie and Sarah screamed in terror at the news. They couldn't believe Chuck had the audacity to get married, without either of them knowing about it. The guards immediately opened the doors after hearing the scream while Devon hugged both Chuck and Hailey.

Tyrant: "What seems to be the problem in here?"

Hailey: "Hey Ty, we've got a couple of mad females here. Because I wasn't going to share my new husband with either of them."

Samsonov: "I strongly suggest that you ladies leave from here. Otherwise, it's not going to be pleasant."

Ellie and Sarah were seething as they marched out of the room. Casey watched from a few feet away that both women were really ticked off, and Devon wasn't around them. He saw them being escorted through another side of the building, apparently they couldn't keep their panties from being bunched up. Damn lady feelings always screwed things up, now would be a good time to grab a scotch. He flagged down a waitress to order his drink, he knew he still had a job to do. He would have to be patient and wait until the time's right to strike.

Chuck and Hailey left the room with Devon behind them making their way back to the pool area, seeing the same group still around. Some of them were grumbling about who was still winning, the board with the names on it crossed out except for the one at the top. Hailey had introduced Devon to them before another round of drinks was ordered.


	21. Chapter 21

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 21: FIRST BLOOD

CLUB APOCOLYPSE / SAN DIEGO, CA

Hailey brought Chuck and Devon around to meet various friends, including people that had worked with her father for many years. Devon still couldn't believe not only was Chuck married to Hailey, but the number of people she knew that had all kinds of connections. While they were going navigating through the club, Casey kept a close watch planning on how to proceed. The only chance he'd have is to isolate them, but needed to find Walker to get both of them. He watched as his asset and the woman he's spent the last few days with dancing, now was the perfect time to strike. He walked up slowly behind Chuck to use a tranq gun, when Hailey's eyes alerted Chuck. He turned around to see Casey standing there.

Chuck: "Casey! What are you doing here?"

Casey: "Numbnuts, what do you think I'm doing here! The bosses have issued the orders to place you into custody, consider yourself bunkerized Bartowski!"

Hailey: "Listen here you big ape! You're not taking my husband anywhere! Your bosses don't have the jurisdiction like they think they do, and you're definitely on the wrong side in this."

Casey: "I wouldn't be getting involved if I were you, it's also been ordered that you're joining your new husband here in the bunker as well. Of course, it's not going to be the same one. Moron, you've should've played ball instead of having this free life fantasy. You've disobeyed orders and broke protocol too many times. Now let's go, you can kiss your wife good bye!"

Chuck: "Sorry to disappoint you Casey, but those days are over. You can tell Beckman and Graham both, to sit on it and rotate. They're no longer going to use me for their game, I'm done being their puppet and I've cut the strings to your masters. Good bye Casey.

Chuck jerked his arm free from Casey and walked away with Hailey. Casey's left standing there with his frequent mask of anger, time to end this recklessness. He brought up the tranq gun and took aim at his two targets, what happened next was unexpected.

Wildfire: "Gun! Everyone take cover!"

Chuck and Hailey heard the warning before hitting the floor with his body covering her's, they looked back to see Casey aiming a gun. Not sure if it's his regular gun or just a tranq, the next sequence was a blur as the gun was shot out of Casey's hand. The blow was enough to distract him from his intended target, seconds later he's getting crushed by a massive football spear from one of the security members that Chuck recognized was Christian Samsonov. Chuck knew from the impact that Casey's ribs would be sore for a while after that. The giant man was built like a house. Speaking of houses, he comes the man who owned said house. Doomsday had thundered his way over, making Samsonov look even smaller standing next to him. Chuck didn't envy Casey at all as they easily towered over the NSA agent.

Doomsday: "What's the meaning of this! Who do you think are bringing a weapon into this place you sumbitch!"

Casey thought it's time to act like the tough guy he always projected.

Casey: "Federal Agent asshole. It's none of your business so stand down, or I'm gonna have a team in here so fast you and your friends will be locked away for the rest of your life!"

Doomsday didn't like the attitude coming from Casey. He decided to make this so-called Federal Agent see eye-to-eye with him, by a more direct approach. Shocking Casey and Chuck with the power and quickness for a man his size. Doomsday grabbed Casey by his throat and lifted him up off the ground, until Casey was literally eye-to-eye with the club owner!

Doomsday: "Look asshole! This is my club! Anything that goes on in here IS my business. Does your small dinosaur-like pea brain understand that, or do I need to speak like a caveman for you to understand what I'm telling you?"

Casey: "I'm under orders to detain those two, and bring them back to D.C. immediately. By any means necessary!"

Doomsday: "It'd be in your best interest to leave this establishment, and never return here again until you can conduct yourself in a civilized human way."

Casey: "You're going to regret this, you're interfering with a federal agent and a sanctioned action by the government. I can have you people brought up on charges and assault!"

If Casey's looking for an answer, he didn't get the one he was expecting.

Casino: "It's our word against your's Agent Casey, I don't think it's what you want. We also have video of you brandishing your weapon, and threatening to target one of our guests."

Casey: "Bartowski's unders government orders, that he willfully disobeyed! He's in serious trouble as it stands for that, and you people can be added to that list for assaulting a Federal Agent that can land you all in custody!"

Doomsday let loose a devastating right hand as a loud crunch echoed in the room, Casey was on the ground bleeding from his now broken nose. Doomsday stood over him with a wicked grin across his face.

Doomsday: "We don't take kindly to games or threats little man! You've already been told to leave, it appears that you also have the same need to disobey orders. Now I think my friend here would gladly assist in you leaving."

Casey turned around and gasped to himself wondering just where the hell do they find these guys? He knew that he was cold-school and enjoyed being the bully to his victims to get the information needed, it definitely looked like Karma was coming after him with bad intentions.

Doomsday: "Agent Casey, meet the one and only 'Dr. Doom'. Frankie, would you care to take out the trash? Feel free to inflict any methods you desire, you can bomb him or rack him."

Looking up into the face of a seven foot monster, the guy that nicknamed 'Dr. Doom' was perhaps the biggest monster Casey's ever laid eyes on. This guy's Frankenstein on steroids!

Casino: "I have a better idea. His partner and Chuck's sister are sitting in one of the secure rooms, until we figured what to do with them. After all they're supposed to be guests. They turned around and tossed our invite back into our faces, with their own agenda even though we've warned them about it. Perhaps we can show them the error of their ways."

Doomsday: "Excellent idea Moneybags! Frank, take this man to their holding area and have your brother on stand-by while we alert the bosses. We're going below deck, see you in five."

They walked over to check on Chuck and Hailey, Devon noticed what happened and looked them over making sure everything was fine.

Devon: "Hey bro, you two okay?"

Chuck: "I'm fine, I just can't believe Casey would've stooped that low. I'd been used to Casey's abuse, my main concern was Hailey."

Hailey: "That's sweet of you really Chuck to shield me from harm like you did, regardless of no self defense training. You just acted on instinct and reflex alone, two things to consider in the future though. I've been trained in several martial arts styles and numerous special forces type of hand-to-hand, among other training from these guys. I think you'll benefit for what I have in mind. What do you think? We can start off slowly with some early morning jogs on the beach everyday?"

Chuck: "I'm not the most athletic guy in the world as you can see, and all the running I've ever done was escaping for my life from a beating. I'm always out of breath from it too."

Devon: "Chuckster, you know I've always invited you work out. Now you have the chance."

Chuck: "What do you mean Devon? I thought you'd be heading back to L.A. and work things out with Ellie, plus you both work at Westside Medical?"

Devon: "Chuck, I warned her when we had the drama at the apartment. You predicted that once Sarah arrived that she would blab everything, and you were right on the money. She was hysterical that she had no idea where you were headed, and Sarah joined her side naturally. Claiming I had no right to hold back such vital information, because Ellie's your sister."

Chuck: "Thank you Devon. You've had my back through it all. I'm really sorry that it caused a rift between you and Ellie."

Devon: "That's just the tip of the iceberg. Sarah tried laying a guilt trip on me, that I didn't care about Ellie or hurting Ellie's feelings. I yelled at her for questioning it, and told her she didn't have room to talk. Especially how she treated you, she thrown a wine glass at me too. Thank goodness I was standing next to the wall in the kitchen, and used it to shield myself."

Hailey: "We didn't mean to put you in that situation Devon, I'm sorry that you and Ellie got caught up in the middle of this drama."

Devon: "We were having problems before this. There's an experimental drug therapy trial that we're trying at the hospital, I was awarded the fellowship for the clinical trial program and she went ballistic. Accused both me and the medical board of having gender bias, because she wanted this so much and upset they chose me instead. Knowing fully well that I was already experienced in the trials, before she even submitted her application for the program."

Hailey: "Maybe we can help you out Devon. Your family to us, and family always looks out for one another. With your experience and background, you shouldn't have any issues."

Doomsday and Casino came around to the group, they invited Devon to meet some more of their associates. Hailey told them what just happened with Devon, Casino told him he'll check around in the morning with his connections and not to worry. Devon felt a little better before shooting some pool with some of their friends while business needed handling. Doomsday escorted Chuck and Hailey to a side entrance that lead to an authorized access elevator, they piled in before feeling the movement move down. Once the doors opened, everyone stepped out to reveal the basement of the club. It's like a secret underground base with computer systems and monitors around the back of the walls, Chuck thought he was in Nerd Heaven!

Chuck: "Whoa! This is some setup you have here, it's like being inside the Bat Cave or something like it."

Doomsday: "More along the lines of, welcome to our evil lair."

Chuck: "Does that make you Dr. Evil?"

Doomsday: "Nah. I'm much smarter than him, and better looking too."

Prodigy: "Don't mind him Chuck. He over-fed his ego, it's cutting off circulation to his brain. My bad his head, I forgot he's been brain dead for years."

Doomsday: "Keep it up and I'll plug you into an outlet head-first!"

Chuck still can't get over the banter these guys have with one another, he sees what Casino was talking about with their antics. Some of them are worse than the others, but he's got a feeling he hasn't seen anything yet. Chuck and Hailey were directed to seat themselves at a corner of the long conference table, when another side door opened. Stepping out from behind the door to reveal Casey and Sarah being brought in looking none to pleased followed by Doom and his brother Death. The two agents were forcibly being seated since their wrists were zip-tied.

Casino: "Looks like the gang's all here, Chuck anything you like to say your handlers?"

Chuck looked at both Sarah and Casey. He knew that they're doing their job, as was ordered. He was also subjected to their abuse most of the time, despite they're sworn duty. They abused him more than protected him, they only cared about the computer he carried in his head.

Chuck: "While I certainly understand you're under orders to protect me. It's certainly nice to have a couple of days of peacefulness. Without having to look over my shoulder, or being monitored like I'm a criminal."

Casey: "Listen here Numbnuts! You know you're not supposed to go off galivating on your own! Especially without either of us accompanying you! Get that through your thick skull Bartowski!"

Chuck: "I told you the other day in the Buy More where I went! I was on a legal job for Buy More, handling a computer emergency for Mr. Casino here down at one of his resorts. Off-site installs and computer emergencies were part of my job with Buy More! You know that Casey, even you can't accompany me on that without blowing your cover. More importantly, it's even mentioned that I was going to be in San Diego for the next month doing work here."

Sarah: "For crying out loud Chuck! You didn't fully explain to Ellie where you've been, or where you're going. She's worried sick about you, because she had no idea where you're going!"

Chuck: "Devon knew the entire time what's going on and where I'd be staying. I confided in him because it's way less drama, and I would've been able to relax before starting on Monday. As we can see right now, that idea was blown away! What we're doing right here, and what happened upstairs when you and Ellie confronted me and Hailey was EXACTLY why I didn't want her to know! She wasn't worried about me at all. She just wanted to dictate what I can or can't do without my input. Much like you two love to impose! Where's the crime in me wanting to have a say in my own personal life?"

Sarah: "We're worried about you Chuck. You're not acting like yourself for the past week, these people are turning you into something you're not! Don't you understand, we care about you and your well being?"

Chuck: "I'm not acting like myself? I'm turning into something I'm not? Maybe because I'm taking charge of my life, and finally cut the strings loose from the damn puppet masters! Do you honestly think I enjoyed being a weak submissive slave of a robot to you people? You say you care about me and my well being? I call bullshit on that Sarah!"

Sarah: "That's not true Chuck, I've always cared about you and always looked out for your best interests! That's why I wanted you to trust me."

Chuck: "You asked me for your trust, and I gave it because that's how it works. You're supposed to give trust in return. Something you never like to do, because your too worried about the protection of the so-called greater good! Trust isn't a one-way street, despite what Graham and Beckman fill your heads with! I never would've found out about Bryce. Carina explained it to me, once she saw I was having an issue with your mixed feelings."

Sarah: "I can't believe what I'm hearing from you Chuck! All of these people are filling your head with nothing but lies! You believe Carina and all of these people over me!"

Sarah was feeling the angry rage build up in her, Chuck was tired of hearing the words coming out of her mouth as were the others in the room.

Casino: "That's rich coming from you Blondie, pot meet kettle if you will. Was that one of the newest lines they teach you up at Spook Central? One thing's for certain, it's never ever listen to a word that comes out of an agent's mouth. Most in particularly if it's the CIA!"

Sarah: "You have no idea what you're talking about, we can have you arrested for holding Federal Agents hostage!"

Doomsday: "Holding you hostage? Listen here you little witch! First of all, we're not the ones holding you hostage as you claim. Second, you had Chuck wearing government issued tracking devices. You're monitoring his whereabouts, like he's a wanted criminal! Chuck's an American citizen! No ties to any terrorist threats, or any prior record of arrest or crimes! So why's he being treated like a domestic criminal wanted by the government?"

Casey: "Classified information that you don't need to know. Now you either release us and Bartowski, or you're going to have a government strike team take all of you in for kidnapping. It's your choice, either way we're getting out of here."

Doomsday: "You're strike team wouldn't even make it through the doors little man."

Casino: "Chuck, please answer us honestly on this question. Did you volunteer to work for the government of your own free will, or did they forcefully conscript you into working for them?"

Chuck: "That's a complicated answer A.J."

Hailey: "Sweetheart, just tell them the truth. You're handlers can't make you suffer anymore backlash while you're here. It's really important for our friends to help you, and me too."

Chuck looked into his wife's eyes, seeing that she's speaking the truth. Feeling the squeeze from her hands to offer moral support. He closed his eyes and felt her forehead lean against his while he breathed deeply. Sarah and Casey both watched their interaction, it's really obvious to them that these two had developed a bond that's unbreakable. This wasn't going to be good news to their bosses. Chuck released the breath he was holding and opened his eyes, it was time to answer the question.

Chuck: "I worked with them. Even though I've never been paid, and I was constantly living in a worried case of fear that I could be placed in a bunker or terminated at any given moment."

Doomsday: "Does your sister and Devon know you're doing this type of work?"

Chuck: "I'm under orders not to involve them, because of the endangerment to their safety. I also needed to point out something else you need to know. Hailey and me were in a long distance relationship since March, I had just spent two weeks with her and we started making out plans for the future. Because of the dangers my life was in, I had to end our relationship without her knowledge to keep her safe. Our relationship was kept private from my family and friends, which is why the government had no previous knowledge of it."

Casey and Sarah were stunned. Chuck had a private relationship with this girl, that nobody knew about? He never told Ellie or Morgan for that matter? Knowing how Ellie's behaviour's always been when Sarah came around, the constant questions and the nagging about the progress of the relationship plus she demanded to meet for that first dinner. No wonder Chuck had kept Hailey away, if they had seven months invested into a relationship and had to end it for her protection. Of course he would act like a scared and depressed puppy! Casino's next words brought them out of their thoughts, and back into the fire.

Casino: "That sounds like forced conscription to me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's an illegal action in this country."

Doomsday: "What would be the government's excuse? Especially if you were placed in a bunker, or terminated once you're no longer useful to their needs?"

Chuck: "They would fabricate some cover story. Saying it's either a fatal car accident, or a brutal mugging gone bad. Either way my body wouldn't be found. Casey and Sarah, you know I speak the truth for that. You forget what I have access to."

Hailey gasped in shock at the horrible fate that would've happened to her husband if their friends never intervened, she also never would've reunited with this uniquely wonderful man. The rest of the group assembled in the room directed hostile glares at Sarah and Casey. They knew Chuck pretty much spelled out the exact details of what they were thinking. If the looks they were giving to Casey and Sarah were anything to go by, it's clear they're not happy.

Doomsday: "Chuck and Hailey, head on back upstairs. Find Devon and enjoy the rest of the night. We're going to break here for a few minutes, to see how we're gonna proceed. As for you agents, we're going to release you tonight. Remember this though, stay away from Chuck and Hailey. That's in your best interests, if you want to remain above ground and breathing!"

Doom and Death walked over to them. Once their severed the ties off their wrists, they guided them out one of the side doors to exit the premises. Casey and Sarah looked at each other wondering what's next. First they found a taxi to take them to the airport, for a flight back to Los Angeles empty-handed. Casey realized one thing, he never even had the chance to contact the teams. He didn't even have time to tranq Chuck before he was taken out, these people were not messing around. They warned them before and stopped them twice, after what happened in Vegas didn't help matters. He saw the looks in their eyes, and knew they meant business. This was their final warning and if they didn't listen, they'd be golds stars on the wall!


	22. Chapter 22

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 22: THE SPOOKS STRIKE BACK

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

A.J. Casino knew things were about to get harder after what transpired last night, after what they learned from Chuck that pertained to his handlers and the orders that were given to carry out meant that something had to be done about the situation. He knocked on the door with the standard two loud knocks before hearing the gruff voice of his boss yelling "Enter!" Before taking a calming breath and used his master key to enter his guest's room. The man was standing at the window looking out over the view of the bay, calmly turned around to see Casino standing braced at attention with a crisp salute.

Jackson: "At ease, I heard there was some trouble last night at the club. Was there any particular reason why I wasn't notified of the incident Casino?"

Casino: "No sir. Just two over-zealous spooks trying to throw their federal weight around, and came out on the losing end. My newest employee, Chuck Bartowski seemed to have been conscripted into working for the NSA and CIA on a joint project. I'm sure Spider's already informed you of this transgression."

Jackson: "Yes he has. Before we came out here, I had a sit down meeting with him and Boone. Once again Smith's hero complex of doing the right thing paid of in a huge way, that kid got railroaded! I'm glad David got him the justice he deserved. What else do you have to report?"

Casino: "We've had to secure and take the agents into custody last night, after they caused a scene. Apparently, his sister wasn't thrilled with the idea Chuck had moved on from his relationship with his CIA handler. The entire relationship was a fake cover ordered by both Beckman and Graham. Miss Bartowski really bought into that cover, so much that she gave him the ultimatum. End his current relationship and get back with Agent Walker, or be kicked out of his home that he shared with his sister."

Jackson: "You've got to be kidding me! His own sister threatened to kick him out because she didn't like his choice of girlfriend?"

Casino: "That's the gist of it, apparently the female spook is a great actress. She had the sister fooled into believing that she's supposed to belong with Chuck for the long-term. At least to us, until the spooks decide he's fulfilled their need. He's expendable to them sir and never once asked to be a part of this, I'm afraid it gets even more messy."

Jackson: "Why am I not surprised? If Smith's involved in this any way, how much worse could it get than it already is?"

Casino: "The new girlfriend that Chuck's in a relationship with, is Lieutenant Hailey Smith."

Jackson looked at Casino like a grown another head, his eyes turned a dark charcoal black and his face took an that angry mask before growling out.

Jackson: "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke Casino! If it is, you can clearly see that I'm not amused by this at all!"

Casino: "Sorry sir, I'm afraid it gets worse than that. Chuck and Hailey were in Las Vegas the other day, enjoying a day away from the drama before coming here. They encountered a team of NSA agents, intent on pulling a 'snatch and grab' on them. They were able to escape the first time, but the second attempt would've succeded. David and a team of eight from our forces arrived on the scene courtesy of help from thirty soldiers from Nellis."

Jackson: "I concede the point. It can get worse when it involves Smith, or any of his family! That man's going to give me a stroke, or a heart attack!"

Casino: "Sorry to report that sir, just trying to keep you updated."

Jackson: "You tell Smith, that if it's him and his wife's plan to kill me like this just to take my chair. That's not going to happen, because both of them are too damn light in rank and seniority!"

Casino: "That's not their intentions sir, I do have one more piece of information that's only known to about two people. Just the couple and myself. Only because I pulled up the information and surveillance videos, which you will be number four."

Jackson: "First Smith and now you! Are you both trying to accelerate the process of taking years off my life! What horror story are you going to share with me now!"

Casino: "Chuck Bartowski now has a wife, her name is Hailey Smith-Bartowksi or just plan Hailey Bartowski. It happened during the initial escape from the pursuit of the NSA, they used a building to hide out in. Not paying attention to their surroundings, it's a 24-hour wedding chapel. They asked each other a question, the people inside who conduct the ceremonies gathered it was a declaration of their love and married them on the spot. Here's the copy of their marriage certificate, from the Clark County office of records in Las Vegas. Completed with signatures and all sir, making it completely 100% legal."

Jackson: "Unbelievable! I need some aspirin like yesterday!"

Casino reached inside his suit pocket and handed Jackson a brand new bottle of aspirin, he walked over to the fridge to hand Jackson a bottled water. Jackson glared up at him while taking the pills and a sip of the water.

Jackson: "So what's the situation going on now?"

Casino: "The two spooks have been sent packing, they should be back in Los Angeles to inform their bosses about this latest development. Considering that his sister gave him the boot, Chuck and Hailey should be on their way to Echo Park to pack up all of his belongings to transport back to San Diego. It's yet to be determined where he's going to live, until that time I'm going to keep his room reserved here in the Tower."

Jackson: "Understood, will they be going alone or will a team shadow them?"

Casino: "From the word I received, his sister's former boyfriend Devon will be with them. He broke up with his sister after what happened. Doctor Woodcombe is a nice guy, and treated Hailey during our last trip to Burbank. Agent Casey punted her in the head to subdue her while they attempted to detain Chuck, she only suffered a minor bump and was fine. Devon had warned Miss Bartowski, prior to their visit last night as our guests. She didn't listen to either of us, he too will be moving his belongings out."

Jackson: "They run the risk of the two agents blowing their cover, unless they're really desperate to take Bartowski into custody. Let's hope they don't go that far, not unless they want to keep their careers intact."

Casino: "I get the same feeling sir, Devon might be the only one to keep them from trying anything. If it's just Chuck and Hailey, they wouldn't hesistate to grab both of them. They tried before at the Buy More a couple of days ago, and again in Vegas."

Jackson: "Keep me advised. I want you to have two teams on stand by, and another team sent to Los Angeles immediately. This is getting out of hand."

Casino: "As you wish sir, will there be anything else?"

Jackson: "Not at this time, report back to me when you find out more. Dismissed."

Casino snapped to attention belting out an "Aye Aye Sir" before executing a perfect about-face and leaving the room while Jackson continued to read over everything that's gathered.

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

John Casey and Sarah Walker arrived back in Los Angeles a couple of hours ago. Both of them were beyond angry, after the humiliation they endured just hours ago down in San Diego at the hands of Chuck's new friends. They clearly under-estimated the number of allies that Chuck seemed to have down in San Diego, the numbers had been heavily stacked against them. Contacting their bosses was the only thing they could report. Activating the communication link, the screen turned on as both agents stood in front of their bosses.

Beckman: "Agents Walker and Casey, what do you have to report?"

Sarah: "Directors, we were in the same vicinity with the asset and his female companion. Myself and his sister had cornered them in a private room, she tried to make him see reason to forget about his latest transgressions and at least to her re-establish our relationship that was the original cover before everything happened. Things didn't end well on that front, he revealed to her that he wasn't going to resume our relationship. In addition to his new way of life. She didn't like it too much and threatened him with an ultimatum, to accept her conditions or find a new place to live. He chose the latter without hesitation. We know that her schedule has her working at this time, which means this would be the perfect chance to get his belongings to move out."

Graham: "That's rather unfortunate indeed, seeing that the apartment he shared with his sister provided you with the perfect place to monitor with surveillance."

Casey: "Sir, I believe that our monitoring's been compromised. The communication that was abruptly terminated on our end wasn't within our control, the entire complex surveillance has been disabled by an outside source. We've had no monitored communication of the area for three days since the Buy More incident."

Beckman: "How can you let this happen? Are you both that incompetent?"

Walker: "No ma'am, it seems they travel in packs. When we encountered the asset's friends up here, there were at least six people at a time. Leads me to believe they planned all of this during the incident at the Buy More, most likely a two-man team was able to disable our systems. They're basic strategy has been multi-pronged assualts, with strength in numbers and spread out their coverage area. Clearly this is the work of professionals."

Graham: "I concur Agent Walker, what else can you tell us about this group?"

Casey: "They detained both of us easily, their security guards are all built like giant trees. Each one over-powered me without batting an eye, they already had Walker subdued earlier with the asset's sister. They proceeded to interrogate us in some kind of room, no torture was necessary because it was only questions. They talked more with the asset as he gave them the gist of what happened since we started, he willingly gave up our cover and exposed us for being his handlers. Knowingly told them that he knows you plan on putting him in a secure underground bunker for the rest of his life or terminated, plus told them what our method would be to cover up his disappearance."

Beckman: "I want a sanction on Bartowski right this second! He's committed an act of treason against this country! Telling vital intimate knowledge of an on-going government operation!"

Sarah ever so briefly looked out the window and noticed the chance for them to strike, she saw Devon escorting Chuck and that Hailey girl over to Casa Bartowski. This was their chance!

Sarah: "Ma'am! I just saw the asset and two others heading for the Bartowski apartment! They apparently are going to start on their packing to move the asset's belongings, Casey and I can detain them right this second."

Beckman: "Don't just stand there! Grab that treasonous asset and close up the operation immediately! I'm sending a team to your location to back you up. You'll take custody of the asset and bring him here to Fort Meade, that includes the female. She can be used as leverage against the asset to gain his cooperation."

Beckman disconnected the feed as Casey and Sarah immediately armed themselves with two tranq guns, after loading the darts for maximum doseage to complete their task. Looking through the window to see Devon was carrying a couple of boxes out to the moving van, they waited until he stepped back inside to make their move. Moving quickly across the courtyard with one eye on the "Morgan Door" and the other on the front door, they moved into position. Sarah moved towards Ellie's and Devon's room, seeing he was packing another box when she fired two darts into his back. Devon dropped on to the bed face first that prevented him from making any noise from hitting the floor.

On the other side, Casey watched the asset and his companion packing two boxes up. He waited for the perfect chance to pick his target, Sarah quickly came up near him to cover her partner. The moment Chuck and Hailey took a second to exchange a soft tender kiss, Sarah used that chance to her advantage emptying out her tranq darts into Hailey! Chuck heard the darts and felt his wife go limp in his arms before looking up seeing his handlers, before he could move he saw Casey's angry eyes stare straight into him before firing off the two tranq guns emptying them as well.

Satisifed that the job was done, Casey immediately called Beckman.

Casey: "Casey secure. We got both the asset and his female companion, leaving the apartment now. Requesting evac to this location!"

Sarah grabbed Hailey's unconscious form, scooping her up and placed her on the bed in a sitting position. Holding her by the front of her shirt. She looked back to Casey, who looked at her questioningly. Sarah turned around and punched Hailey hard across the face with a right hook, she watched the other woman limply fall back on the bed.

Casey: "Was that really necessary Walker?"

Sarah smiled with satisfaction. She looked back to what she did, and turned back to Casey.

Sarah: "Worth every second it took, that'll teach this skank not to mess with my property!"

Casey: "Your property? What are you talking about Walker, have you got a screw loose? Since when was he your property?"

Sarah: "He belonged only to me for the past month, before any of this happened! I had to fend off Carina during the diamond mission! Now this skank showed up, and used her charms to seduce my boyfriend! Plus, I owed her from the Buy More! So yes, it was necessary Casey!"

Without another word, Sarah scooped Hailey back up over her shoulder as the two agents made their way out of Casa Bartowski.


	23. Chapter 23

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 23: THE SLEEPING GIANT AWAKENS

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

A.J. Casino was just checking over the latest numbers for the other resorts in his chain. Making sure that business was still good and the reviews were still excellent, one thing he cherished was excellent repeat business with customers keep coming back for more. Which was why he made sure his prices could easily be affordable by those that dreamed of a five-star experience, but never had the esteemed wealth like majority of the celebrities and athletes accumulated. That's what made it enjoyable by everybody, and that's what was good for business to him. He just finished up the last page, when the phone on his desk began to ring. That itself was a bit unusual and he didn't like it, any calls for him were made directly to his cell phone. He picked up the phone and gave a gruff answer.

Casino: "Casino here, what's the issue?"

Spider: "I just received word from my sources back in D.C. that an authorized sanction was carried out on both Chuck and Hailey Bartowski! I'm afraid it gets worse than that. NSA striker team was seen at Echo Park Apartments in Los Angeles where his sister lives, that also houses NSA Agent John Casey. Agents Walker and Casey were seen leaving the complex carrying a man and a woman over their shoulder into a waiting SUV, they were tailed to the airfield at Edwards AFB before boarding a Gulfstream G650ER. I quickly checked the database for all private jets leaving, there's one in particular that's registered to the NSA."

Casino: "Damn it! I had a feeling this would happen! Any idea where it's going, or is it an easy guess for us?"

Spider: "Destination's Tipton Airport, that's only a few minutes from the NSA HQ at Fort Meade."

Casino: "Roger that. Keep us posted on that end, I'm sending teams to Echo Park to check it out and scramble some birds. I'm calling the Home Base to get some of the boys on it, this has gone too far now and it's going to stop right now!"

Spider: "I understand, who's going to tell Boss?"

Casino: "Thanksgiving's coming up, I'm gonna save your nose this time. So you don't have to worry about his temper."

Spider: "Thanks a bunch Casino, just remember to duck and cover."

After hanging up the phone, Casino slides out from behind his desk and briskly walks down the hallway to the room of his biggest guest. Knocking extremely loud and without the gruff call to enter, Casino opened the door to see Jackson on the phone chewing out somebody before he hangs up on them. After blowing out a breath of frustration and sees A.J. standing there, he grabbed his coat and heads for the door.

Jackson: "With me Casino, judging by the look on your face that we've got problems. Scale of 1-10 how serious is it?"

Casino: "Sir, the situation would be classified as a 50!"

Jackson: "50! What in the hell could make it that bad?"

Casino: "Spider just informed me from his sources. Chuck and Hailey Bartowski were just abducted by his handlers, they're spotted climbing into black SUV's filled with NSA striker teams, they arrived at Edwards and enroute to Fort Meade. You can probably guess the reaction David's going to have when he gets words of this, I've already alerted Home Base to get some of our birds scrambled, and dispatching the teams that were at Bob Hope to arrive at Echo Park."

Jackson: "Alert all units, Alpha Team down to Fox Team. Get your men together from here, it's time to go hunting!"

Casino: "Yes sir!"

ECHO PARK / LOS ANGELES, CA

Ellie Bartowski just pulled into the apartment complex after a very hard day. It's the most difficult shift at the hospital she's had in years, she felt miserable given what's transpired over the couple of days. The bickering with Chuck about not giving Sarah a chance, and to find out he moved on with that Hailey girl really fast. She can't believe he had the gall to marry her! Her heart went out to Sarah, seeing the man she loved so much was married to someone else. The thought made her angry just by itself, then the shock to her system when Devon dropped his bombshell. Telling her that it's over between them, all because she refused to listen to the warnings. From both him and Mr. Casino, perhaps a nice hot bubble bath and a glass of wine or two would help dull the pain she felt inside.

After stepping out of her car, she noticed the U-Haul truck was sitting there. She began to wonder who it's for. Devon could've easily had his frat brothers help him get his stuff, until she realized it's probably for Chuck. She walked over to her apartment and sadly let herself in. She can't believe that Chuck had the chance at a great life, and would make a lot of money with the chance of furthering his education. He was awarded a settlement that he partially used to pay off both her and Devon's student loans, which she had to admit wasn't going to be for at least another five years. He had also bought this apartment for her, because it was home for them. Until she foolishly made him choose between getting back with Sarah, or live on the streets. It just dawned on her, she'd just abandoned him like their parents did!

The realization just hit her. She just basically destroyed the last remaining threads to their family, she needed to grab that wine and soak herself in the tub to drown away her sorrows. Walking into the bedroom she stopped abruptly to find Devon face down on the bed, what's he still doing here? She walked closer and shook him to wake him up, when she didn't get a response from him. She shook him harder before noticing two darts sticking directly into his back, she quickly pulled them out and placed them inside of a ziplock bag to be safe. Rolling him over on to his back to check his vitals and eyes for his response, it's obvious he'd been drugged. Who could do such a thing? She quickly moved to check the rest of the apartment. Arriving at Chuck's room, she noticed there's a few boxes packed up and another two boxes were partially packed. There's no sign of them anywhere, this didn't making any sense.

Ellie was frantically scared. Someone had not only drugged Devon, but kidnapped her brother and Hailey. She reluctantly had to accept the fact that she's now her sister in law, despite holding on to the hope that one day it could still be Sarah. The clearing of a throat startled her out of her thoughts, she looked up seeing a few men standing there. She recognized them as some of Chuck's new friends, one of them approached her.

Artman: "Miss Bartowski, we've come here to provide you with some assistance concerning the kidnapping of your brother and his girlfriend."

Ellie: "Wife. Hailey's now Chuck's wife, not girlfriend."

Ellie watched as the group exchanged looks of surprise at that tidbit, she wondered if it just happened recently or they didn't honestly know.

Gambino: "Well I guess that explains why they were acted so strangely in Vegas."

Ellie: "They got married in Las Vegas? So it was a spur of the moment decision?"

Wildfire: "I get the feeling there's more to the story than that, but we can discuss that later."

Hollywood: "Miss Bartowski, how long have you been here and what did you find?"

Ellie: "Please call me Ellie. I just arrived home about thirty minutes ago, and noticed the U-Haul truck was still outside before it dawned on me that they'd be here moving his things. I went to my room and found my boyfriend laying face down on the bed, he had these two darts sticking out of him as he was unconscious."

Maverick: "Please let us help Ellie, I think I know what's the cause for his condition. Do you still have the darts or are they still attached to him?"

Ellie: "I cautiously removed them, I checked his vitals and he appears to have been drugged."

Ellie showed them the bag that contained the darts, Khaos gently takes the bag and examines it before passing it to the rest of the group to get their confirmation. Definitely the handywork of the spooks, this was an inside job courtesy of the neighborhood spook.

Khaos: "Twilight darts, courtesy of the NSA. These are used by government agents to subdue or incapacitate people, primarily used to grab or prevent someone from raising the alarm. Devon will be fine Ellie, these darts are basically a higher level dose of a sleeping pill that won't cause any damage."

Maverick: "Two darts at maximum levels, he's going to be out for at least 12-14 hours."

Artman: "Why don't you come sit down Ellie, I know you're probably going through shock or close to being hysterical. We're here to provide assistance to you because your Chuck's sister."

Ellie: "Thank you, even though I don't deserve it. Especially, the way I've been treating both of them. Chuck didn't deserve this, and neither does Hailey. I wish I could take back everything I ever did this week, this is all my fault!"

Gambino: "No it's not Ellie, the timing was an inconvenience after what happened at the club. They chose the perfect time to strike, the small time frame for Chuck and everyone being here while you're at work gave the agents more than enough time. This could've happened anytime Chuck and Hailey were here, not due to the reason behind it. Unfortunately, Devon was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Ellie: "How could this not be my fault? I treated my own baby brother like dirt, and I never supported his relationship with Hailey. I just wanted him to be happy, and thought that it's with Sarah. I could see that she truly cared about him."

Artman: "Could you've treated your brother and Hailey better? Yes, you could've been more supportive and see how happy Hailey had made him. The real truth about Sarah was all an act, her and Casey both were responsible for what happened here."

Ellie: "Sarah and John? How could they do this? Sarah's a fast food worker, and John works at the Buy More with Chuck. There's got to be some mistake."

Maverick: "Unfortunately Ellie, it's all true. We have hard evidence to prove our word."

Maverick pulled out his phone and played videos of the conferences. Casey and Sarah had with their bosses detailing their reports from the last couple of days, Sarah informing them that Ellie provided them with the opportunity to get inside the club. Casey informed them about the facial recognition program had spotted Chuck and Hailey in Las Vegas, with Beckman ordering the NSA team to detain them into custody. They watched Ellie's face went from questioning to horrified, her hands covered her mouth. She couldn't believe that she's partially responsible for this debacle, she told Sarah about the invite from Casino to the night club.

She should've listened to Devon. He warned her about pushing her agenda to get Sarah and Chuck back together, now everyone's suffering from the results of her actions. Ellie brokedown after the gravity of the situation was starting to sink in, Hollywood walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Hollywood: "Don't worry Ellie, we're going to do everything possible to find Chuck and Hailey."

Ellie: "What can you do to find them? From what you said, Sarah and Casey are government agents. They can do anything they want, who's going to stop them?"

Artman: "We can do a lot more than you think Ellie. You better believe that Hailey's father David won't stand around, and let this go unanswered."

Ellie: "David's only a lawyer. He can't do but so much, especially against the government."

Gambino: "You're wrong Ellie, David's more than just a lawyer. He's a highly decorated combat fighter pilot, and an extremely high-ranking member of the military. He has connections all the way up to the President. He's had previous experience dealing with these type of people, that gives him inside knowledge into their SOP's and methods they would entail."

Wildfire: "One more thing you should know Ellie. You should feel good to know, your brother couldn't have picked a better group of people to befriend. Despite the way it happened in Vegas, with the unforeseen circumstance that caused him and Hailey to get married. That's something nobody could've seen coming. They wouldn't have done it intentionally to spite anybody, because that's not the people they are. But the fact it did happen and we've come to accept it from observation that it'd happen eventually in the future."

Maverick: "We've come to regard Chuck as family, being involved with Hailey's been good for him. He's changed in just a short time for the better, his self-esteem and confidence was still low from what happened. Just like you've seen Ellie, we knew he had the potential to achieve more but his lack of options was the issue. Once he told his story was just the beginning and we took it upon ourself to help him, David took it upon himself to find out the truth because that's what he's about. We just simply gave him an additional support line, much like when you water a plant to nurture it to grow. Casino provided the escape he needed with the job he offered, from there it was easy to see a spark ignite in his eyes and confidence start to return."

Ellie: "I feel like I owe both of them an apology, and for that matter I should apologize to all of you for the role I played in all of this. I knew he's destined for more than just working at a Buy More, I couldn't get him out of this rut he'd been in and tried to push him to date to help get him going again."

Gambino: "Sometimes things don't always work the way others want them to, you love your brother and did everything you thought you could to help. However, it got to the point where the pushing was being negative. Chuck's inability to date was because he was still hurting from what happened at Stanford with what Bryce had done to him twice, first the whole cheating angle and sleeping with his girlfriend. Sarah chose to exploit this to gain his attention by acting like she's interested in him to the point of making him feel like a lost puppy without her."

Ellie: "What does Sarah's affection and love for my brother have anything to do with this?"

Artman: "Sarah Walker said she relocated out here to get away from her ex-boyfriend and start a new life, at least that's what she told all of you correct."

Ellie: "Yes, she said everything in D.C. reminded her of Bruce and that all of her friends were really all of his friends. Is there something more to that?"

Hollywood: "Sarah Walker did relocate out here from D.C. but it was because she was chosen to come out here with Casey as part of an investigation, her ex-boyfriend wasn't really an ex. That was an excuse to start the relationship with your brother, she knew everything that happened to your brother before she even set foot in Los Angeles. Chuck just learned this tidbit just the night before he first came to San Diego with us, you know the night he didn't come home or call you. Sarah Walker's boyfriend was in fact none other than Bryce Larkin."

Ellie: "I can't believe it! Sarah was dating that slimeball?"

Khaos: "They not only dated, but were partners for two years and were living together in D.C."

Artman: "Back to the point of what we're talking about, Chuck became family to us and marrying Hailey just made it official. Their marriage now extends to you as his sister to be included into our family, what Casey and Sarah were under orders to do was a direct violation of their rights. It's clearly a kidnapping and that's not going to sit well with our bosses, it's most definitely not going to sit well with David's boss. There's a motto we have, which is more like a code than anything that we live by. You don't mess with the family! That's exactly what they did Ellie. They crossed the wrong group of people, and they don't have any clue to the extent of our capabilities. One thing we'll guarantee is this Ellie, we're going to find Chuck and Hailey. Casey and Sarah's bosses were the real criminals here, they're the ones that's going to pay the ultimate price for hurting our family. That's not a threat, it's a family promise."


	24. Chapter 24

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 24: REVENGE OF THE SPOOKS

NSA HEADQUARTERS / FORT MEADE, MD

Two black suburban SUV's pulled into the underground garage of the NSA Headquarters where the occupants filed out, a few more agents were standing by with stretchers to take the two unconscious prisoners inside to the holding area. Once everyone was inside, Casey and Sarah followed them to make certain nothing would happen. They entered what appeared to be a hospital room where the beds were setup, Chuck and Hailey were each placed on the beds before the attendants secured them with the restraints effectively holding them in place and hooked up monitoring systems to provide vitals. Satisfied that the job was done, they moved out of the room. Sarah walked back to the bed Chuck was strapped to. She held his hand for a second and looked into his sleeping face, she noticed the haircut made him look more mature even though she liked the curls he had. She caressed his cheek and whispered in his ear.

Sarah: "Don't you worry about anything Chuck, we're going to fix things and everything's back to the way it was before all of this happened. You're back by my side where you're safe and nothing will ever keep you away from me again, not even that skank who took you from me in the first place. I will see you later, sweet dreams."

She kissed his forehead before leaving with Casey, who just watched in confusion at the moment he just witnessed. Something wasn't right and he definitely didn't know what's going on with his partner. This definitely needed to be watched closer.

MISSION BEACH / SAN DIEGO, CA

Everyone gathered around the table inside the Conference Room on the top floor of the Tower at the New Millennium Paradise Resort. Nobody's smiling, it's clear their game faces were on showing their full seriousness. Ellie and Devon were brought to the resort with them and given a room. Victor comforted her, if she needed anything medical wise to call him on the direct line from her room. The door opened as Jackson entered the room accompanied by Casino and Spider, everybody was on their feet standing at attention. He sat at the head of the table with Casino and Spider sitting at his corner.

Jackson: "At ease, take a seat people. What do we have so far?"

David: "I spoke with Home Base, they're monitoring all chatter with their surveillance."

Doomsday: "Prodigy's been keeping tabs through the digital mainframe of their networks. Soprano and Storm are running all the scenarios they could think of, should they choose to relocate our people. All three have access to all of our satellites."

Casino: "I spoke with Boone already, he's pulled his entire department into the field going over every file on everybody involved."

Spider: "Everybody in my section only, the ones that are loyal to me at the branch are keeping me posted. They're making sure nothing leaks out, Director Graham was reported to be at Fort Meade meeting with the NSA Director General Beckham."

Jackson: "Now those two names are at the front of this trouble, I've been reading the reports and noticed it's their actions that's behind everything. What about our strikers?"

Gambino: "Alpha through Fox Teams are loaded up and ready for deployment, just waiting on the word sir."

Artman: "Our air squadrons are all armed and weapons systems checked out on every bird we've got, they're ready to go too sir."

Jackson: "Good, spread the word to our forces that we're going to Condition 3. In the meantime gentlemen, grab your gear from the armory here and get them stored on the transports. Your birds will be waiting for your arrival at Home Base, we're departing in three hours. Dismissed!"

Everyone stood at attention before Jackson departed the room with Casino and Spider right behind him, looking at one another they knew that the time has come to go to war.

NSA HEADQUARTERS / FORT MEADE, MD

General Diane Beckman was in a very happy mood. She had her precious Intersect where it belonged, in her possession and at her mercy. She watched with glee when he was sedated and restrained, his troublesome female companion was held in the same area in the same situation. She noted that Sarah was extremely pleased of these events, looking forward to what the next phase of their plans were. Graham was away for the moment taking care of some urgent matters, Casey just sat there stoic as always.

Beckman: "Agents Walker and Casey, congratulations on a job well done in recovering our Intersect. Despite the numerous setbacks you've encountered, you done your respective agencies proud for completing the mission. Now we need to get back to the task at hand, Bartowski has been acting too rebellious for his own good. We've somehow lost control of him, that's going to change. He's due for an Intersect update, it's come at the perfect time for us. Unfortunately, it's going to be at least another 48-72 hours before we can do that."

Sarah: "What will we do in the meantime ma'am? We have that woman in there to use as leverage, what's the plan with her?"

Beckman: "We can do anything we desire Agent Walker. She's proven to be a vital part of the asset for this past week, they seem to have a strong connection. That won't be broken so easily, at least not without our intervention. Do you have any suggestions?"

Sarah: "We could torture her in front of the asset, until he cooperates for her safety."

Casey: "He would cooperate until he knows she's safe from harm, after that he would try anything to help her. Perhaps keep her as leverage. After he gets the Intersect update to keep him on a leash, until he accepts his fate."

Beckman: "Interesting point Agent Casey, we need to gain his cooperation sooner than later."

Sarah: "I just thought of the perfect solution to our problems ma'am!"

Casey noticed a crazed look in Sarah's eyes, he's seen that look before in Carina when she had a crazy idea before she improvised. Now the crazy gleam was in the eyes of his partner. He's never seen her like this before, he started to worry about the state of her mind. He knew that she hated that Hailey girl, and wanted revenge. Even more was a strong case of a mental breakdown. He nervously sat there to listen, and prayed he was wrong.

Sarah: "We can have Chuck sit in front of the two-way mirror, and watch her being held by chains. Have her heavily sedated to the point, she's unaware of what's happening."

Beckman: "What affect is this supposed to have on the asset?"

Sarah: "She'd be stripped down to her undergarments and we have an agent have his way with her, he would employ all the seduction techniques and tricks that we're taught. In her drugged state she could think it's the asset and respond without thinking about it, seeing the woman he loves getting it on with another guy in front of him. It'll break him physically and emotionally, just like it did five years ago when..."

Bryce: "When I framed him for cheating, and had a great night of passionate sex with his girlfriend on the same day. He'll be broken in an instant, and back under your control."

Everyone turned around to see Director Graham entered the room with a completely living and breathing Bryce Larkin! Casey reacted immediately pulling his weapon out, Sarah quickly moved by hitting Casey in the side of his head with an elbow stunning him before hitting him with a roundhouse kick putting him on the ground. Casey was dazed, before he could move he looked up to see Sarah Walker standing over him with her weapon in hand. Graham and Larkin walked over with smiles on their faces, looking over to Beckman with a disappointing frown back on her face.

Beckman: "Major Casey, I am very surprised at your actions. I never expected you to pull your weapon on another agent."

Casey: "How's this possible? I shot him and watched him die just before sending the Intersect database to Bartowski, this doesn't make any sense."

Graham: "It was part of our plan that we discussed beforehand with Agent Larkin, the whole blowing up the Intersect Room was to cover our tracks. Walker and Larkin attracted so much attention from outside our control, we had to do something. Bryce knew that without the Omaha Project, we'd never be able to continue with our research if we couldn't find the perfect subject. Bartowski's nothing more than a pawn in our scheme, by kicking him out for cheating and seducing his girlfriend made him ripe for the pickings. It was risky on our part to do this, Bartowski's showed that he's the only one capable of utilizing the Intersect to maximum potential. All the missions that your team went on, were general field tests to see how it would perform in a real-life situation. The results were greater than we could ever expect, Zarnow was all an act. We put that information into the Intersect as a test. He did sell secrets to North Korea, but they're bogus and carried trackers to flush out the contacts he made over there. We took out a couple of terrorist cells hidden there."

Beckman: "Everything was working well with the desired results, until Bartowski ended up doubting his cover relationship. These mysterious newcomers destroyed all of our hard work in just a matter of days!"

Graham: "That's why we increased the pressure of regaining control of your asset, Bryce wasn't supposed to be 'resurrected' for another month. He had recovered enough from his gunshot wound that you inflicted Casey. However, it's been the nuisance of the asset's new friends and his girlfriend that's caused this extreme measure."

Sarah: "Sir, the woman in there's his wife. They got married while trying to evade the NSA team in Las Vegas the other day, they confirmed it to me and Ellie during our confrontation at the club in San Diego."

Bryce: "Wife? Oh, this will make it even better to break Chuck! First, I let him catch me in the act of having his girlfriend under me. Now, he's going to see his own wife having a passionate affair with me. How soon can we begin?"

Beckman: "We can't do anything just yet, not until the update is ready. However, we can have the lab setup and prepped in advance. Keep both Bartowskis sedated and secure until tomorrow when we know more, you're dismissed."

Sarah walked over to Bryce and slapped him across the face!

Sarah: "That's for not telling me what you were planning, and letting me think you were dead! I was at your funeral Bryce, and so was Chuck for that matter."

Bryce: "I'm sorry Sarah, I didn't want to hurt you like that. Graham needed that data going and Beckman wanted the project to continue, they assured me you'd be okay when I returned."

Sarah: "How could I be okay when I thought you were dead? Do you have any idea how much hurt I was going through?"

Bryce: "Yes I do, what about this idea you just thought up? Having me seducing Chuck's wife right in front of him, are you sure you can handle that?"

Sarah: "Yes, of course I'm sure Bryce. I know that it's only for show, it's not going to mean anything to you. The point of it's to completely break Bartowski, he'll be back under our control. We may even have his memory wiped, to forget about her. Yes, he'll become a needy little puppy again. This time I can control him. I might indulge with the honey trap every once in a while, as a reward for following orders. We can even keep her around on the side for you, if you decide to be a good boy."

Bryce: "I love the way you think Sarah, shall we get reacquainted Mrs. Anderson?"

Sarah: "Why yes I would Mr. Anderson."

Casey watched in confusion at the scene that played out in front of him, he looked over to see the gleam in Beckman's eyes. What's going on here? He was broke out of his thoughts when Graham got his attention.

Graham: "You're dismissed Casey, go check on the asset and his wife. Beckman and I have much to discuss concerning the update, congratulations on a job well done."

Casey: "Yes sir, thank you sir. Ma'am, by your leave?"

Beckman: "Dismissed Major, we'll meet again tomorrow."

Without any further need of encouragement, John Casey left the room in a confused state. His thoughts were troubling him, he wanted to serve his country with honor and be a proud patriot. The people he's serving under have shown their true colors, they're not patriots and didn't care about the welfare of the greater good. They're lust for greed and power has fully taken over, showing the true natures of being communist dictators in his mind. He knew he had to do something fast, or two innocent Americans were going to pay the ultimate price for going against the puppet masters' wishes.

He stepped into the room to carefully checked the condition of both Chuck and Hailey, he was honestly proud of the kid. What happened in the Buy More, when Chuck had seen his actions from just rendering his wife unconscious to aide his partner. The kid showed some backbone and proved he wasn't going to be pushed around anymore, especially when he kicked him in the jewels! That literally took the breath out of him, and the people that came to their rescue. It just made him realize things were definitely not what they seemed. Instead of being the hostile threats to national security, they're the real defenders of the nation instead of the masters he's currently serving.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get Chuck and Hailey out of their on his own, he needed a lot of help in order to get them all out. It's a long shot, he made his way over to Bartowski and fished the cell phone out of his pocket. Scrolling through the list of contacts, he found two names that he immediately recognized. He sent out two brief text messages to them, detailing everything and sent a picture for proof before placing the phone back into Chuck's pocket. After double checking their vitals and which drugs were being pumped into them, he left the room and turned off the light. He needed to find some much needed coffee.


	25. Chapter 25

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 25: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

BWI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / BALTIMORE, MD

Tensions were running high as they geared up for battle. They arrived from San Diego a few hours ago to begin their final preparations for the mission at hand, last minute checks of their equipment were already completed and loaded into the transports from their secret base before they landed at BWI. Everything was ready for the fight, the only thing missing was the command to launch. They knew getting to Fort Meade wouldn't take long, Jackson kept his eyes on the screen that showed the aerial view of Fort Meade seeing where the most likely target would be, they just needed the confirmation to proceed. David and Casino both felt their phones vibrate to indicate a text message, looking down to see the message was sent from Chuck's phone! They read the message, which raised their eyebrows. It's time to act.

David: "Sir! We just got our confirmation on the location. Agent Casey has sent us a text message from Chuck's phone, confirming him and Hailey are both inside NSA HQ."

Jackson: "You sure it's not a trap? They could have cloned his phone and bounced it somewhere else, it's a standard trick."

Casino: "We're aware of that sir, he also included a picture of both of them restrained to beds and have various wires attached to them. They're being sedated to keep them out of it."

Jackson: "Soprano and Storm! I need confirmation about this location ASAP!"

Alvino Soprano and J.C. Storm were digging through their data, hacking into the NSA cameras while tracing the signal of Chuck's phone, they came up with a match with the trace and visual confirmation.

Storm: "Sir! I have tracking confirmation on the cell phone from the trace."

Soprano: "Visual confirmation places them in the basement of the compound."

Casino grabbed David's phone before he could throw it against something, the look in his eyes showed he was definitely ready to rip someone to shreds.

Casino: "It gets worse sir. Agent Casey sent a second text detailing their plans for Chuck and Hailey, it's not good sir."

David: "This Larkin guy will wish he stayed dead, especially when I get my hands on him!"

Casino handed the phone to Jackson, who read over the messages. The fury in his eyes told the story, picking up the phone line in the transport for communication before growling.

Jackson: "You got the green light, bring the rain and make 'em feel the pain!"

NSA HEADQUARTERS / FORT MEADE, MD

Chuck Bartowski was dragged into the room, he had no idea where he was and definitely didn't know where his wife was. He's having a very bad feeling flowing through him, especially after having the foul taste in his mouth. He gathered it's the effects from the tranq darts. He was pushed into a seat in the darkened room, when the light turned on nearly blinding him. When his vision cleared, he saw the two imposing figures of Director Graham and General Beckman with evil smiles on their faces.

Graham: "Welcome back to where you belong Bartowski, you don't know how much trouble you've caused us these last few days. Consider yourself fortunate we didn't sanction to have you terminated from the start."

Chuck: "It would be a foolish move on your part Director. I'm your only Intersect, you don't have any backups. You really think another computer database will work better than me?"

Beckman: "Maybe not better than you, but we wouldn't have a national security threat running around the country. A computer doesn't need to be handled like you do."

Chuck: "Because a computer can't think, nor does it have any free will like a human being. That's what the issue's always been! I cut free of your strings, it drove you insane that you're best agents had under-estimated a simple little nerd."

Graham: "Well that's about to change Bartowski. You're going to get an Intersect update and you're going back under the care of your handlers, for the rest of your life."

Chuck: "Sorry Director, that's not going to happen. You can't force me to cooperate with you, and I'm not going back under the cover with Walker."

Sarah: "That's where you're wrong Chuck."

Chuck looked to see Sarah Walker walking towards him, swaying her hips seductively. Chuck closed his eyes, shaking his head in disgust. He had no desire to be back under her control, he felt her hand run through his hair and caressed his face. He jerked away from her touch.

Sarah: "What's wrong Chuck? I thought you liked it when I touched you, or gave you some affection. Didn't you want a real relationship with me?"

Chuck: "I couldn't care anymore about whatever feelings you supposedly had for me. I realized you were faking the entire time, because you gave too many mixed signals and refused to even trust me, I knew you had to keep things about yourself private because of your career. I respected that. Once the cover wasn't needed, the truth was you couldn't get away from me fast enough. I already had somebody that cares about the man that's Chuck Bartowksi, not some play toy that's just discarded after hours because I have your precious computer inside my head."

Beckman: "We'll see about that Bartowski, you're taking that Intersect update and we're going to wipe that memory of your's clean. That's right, no more of this new Chuck Bartowski attitude that continues to defy orders! You're going to be one of us, and listen to us!"

Sarah: "Most importantly. There's going to be no more of this pathetic relationship, you'll have no more Hailey Bartowski in your life. She'll be erased from your memory!"

Chuck: "No way in hell am I going to let that happen!"

Graham: "Oh, it's going to happen. One way or another Bartowski. We're going to break you and you'll submit your control back over to Sarah here for the rest of your life."

Chuck: "Nothing you can do will ever make me join you willingly, you'll have to terminate me before that happens!"

Beckman: "Nothing you say? Perhaps you'd like to re-think that approach."

Beckman pushed a button and it showed the room on the other side of the glass, Chuck looked and couldn't believe his eyes. His beloved Hailey was standing in the middle of the room chained, her arms and legs were spread a part. Chains were attached to her wrists and ankles to both poles, he could tell she's still heavily drugged. Chuck began seething with anger, he looked at everyone else in the room.

Chuck: "You can't do this! She's an American Naval Officer for crying out loud! You're directly violating your own oath to protect the people of this country! You're all monsters!"

Graham: "It's simple Bartowski. All you have to do is cooperate with us, and willingly bend to our wishes. I promise that she'll be set free, and be able to carry on with her life. Of course, she won't be allowed to have contact with you ever again."

Chuck: "No deal Graham! You can't control either of us like that! She wouldn't give up trying to find me, and you better believe her father definitely won't let this go unpunished!"

Beckman: "You have no choice in the matter Bartowski! Either way, you're going to join us. If you don't willfully join us, we're going to break your will and make you wish you chose to serve the greater good."

Chuck: "I'm not that submissive weakling that's gonna let you walk all over him anymore!"

Sarah: "We'll see about that Chuck. I'm sure you'll change your mind, once you see what we have planned for your wife."

Sarah motioned her eyes to the room in front of them, Chuck wasn't sure what to expect. A side door opened and he couldn't believe his eyes. Bryce Larkin walked into the room with that cocky grin on his face! He looked at Hailey and admired her beauty, turning his head and walked to the window to see Chuck.

Bryce: "Well hello there Chuck, surprised to see me buddy?"

Chuck was staring wide-eyed at his former best friend, this was something he never seen coming. He immediately started playing scenarios out in his mind, when the worst case scenario flashed before his eyes. No! They wouldn't dare! Looking back up with the dread feeling forming in the pit of his stomach, Bryce had that evil grin on his face. Chuck's fears were indeed confirmed. His nemesis Bryce Larkin, who had taken everything away from him beginning at Stanford and followed it up by sleeping with Jill. Now he's going to have his wicked fun with his wife Hailey!

Bryce: "You have such a lovely wife Chuck, I'm definitely going to enjoy having my fun with her. She's going to enjoy the feeling of what a real man can do to her, I'm looking forward to adding her to my list of conquests and she'll become my top notch."

Chuck began to move when he felt Sarah wrap her arms around him, holding him in the chair with one arm tucked up under his chin. He's secured by her leverage and could only watch in helplessness as Bryce circled his pray, taking a knife from inside his coat and sliced the string of the gown that she's wearing leaving her in just a bra and underwear. Bryce admired her beauty, he caressed her arms and legs before looking at the window one last time. Lowering his head next to her cheek, he whispered in her ear before softly kissing from her cheek to the side of her neck while his hands were slowly caressing her body. Taking one last look at Chuck with that grin, Bryce moved his hands to Hailey's bra before grabbing a handful of her breast! Chuck's eyes became cold as ice and used the anger to fuel him, before he moved the door swung open to see John Casey power walking with the anger pouring out of him.

Beckman: "Agent Casey, it's about time you showed up. You're just in time for the show, Bartowski's about to see what happens when you disobey orders."

Suddenly, explosions were heard as the building shook from the vibrations. Chuck and Casey took advantage of the situation, Chuck bolted to his feet and used his height advantage to flip Sarah over his shoulder on to her back surprising her! Casey pulled his weapon taking aim at both Beckman and Graham before shooting the glass, Chuck immediately sprinted into the room as Bryce looked up. An enraged Chuck tackled him to the floor and started punching Bryce with everything he had, Sarah recovered and started to move. Casey adjusted his aim and focused on her, she quickly stopped her movements as Beckman and Graham were livid. Another blast shook the building, one of the walls nearby had a huge hole from the blast. Men flooded in with full tactical gear armed with various assault rifles, Beckman and Graham were furious!

Beckman: "Who the hell do you think are! You're committing an act of war against a federal government agency! You're all under arrest for treason!"

Three of them stepped forward to remove the balaclava masks revealing Jackson, Spider, and David. Beckman and Graham were in shock as was Casey and Sarah, standing before them besides David Smith was CIA Deputy Director Clayton Webb and the man they definitely feared the most Albert J. Jackson simply known as "POTUS"!

Jackson: "Both of you are under arrest for multiple charges against the United States!"

David looked into the room and saw the situation, Chuck's fighting with another man and became distracted from the voices. Bryce took the chance to get in a shot to get Chuck off of him, he scrambled to his feet only to get knocked back down with a flying punch from David. Bryce was having a hard time breathing as the man had his hand wrapped around his throat, he saw the extremely angry glint in his cold blue eyes.

David: "Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!"

David increased the pressure as Bryce felt his vision blur, the air was cut off rapidly and knew he wouldn't last much longer. Jackson came into the room and put his hand on shoulder.

Jackson: "Let him go son, it's not worth it. No matter how much we want to do it, death will only grant him an escape instead of paying for his crime."

Casey joined them as he shot the cuffs on the chain to release Hailey. Chuck quickly tried covering her up with his shirt, Casey kneeled down by Chuck and handed him his black suit jacket to cover her up. Chuck looked up to acknowledge Casey.

Chuck: "Casey, I don't know what to say except thank you."

Casey: "No Chuck, I should be the one to say thank you. I owe you a major apology for everything that's happened, I never knew this was part of their game. I followed my orders like any soldier should, until they revealed their plans last night. This was clearly against anything I ever signed up for, you or your wife here did not deserve any of this."

David and Jackson came over to their side after Bryce was secured, Casey put his hand on Chuck's shoulder before coming to attention and saluted.

Casey: "Mr. President, I sincerely apologize for my actions. I was obeying orders that was given to me by my direct superior and followed them to the best of my ability, but this was something I had to disobey and will subject myself to whatever punishment you deem fit. I've disgraced the uniform as an officer of the United States military, and the honor of all those who gave their lives in service."

David: "Agent Casey, you were following orders like any good soldier would do. Even when they became unlawful. What matters the most, you recognized what your superiors planned on doing to two innocent American citizens including an American service member. You chose to do the right thing, if it wasn't for your quick thinking to send those text messages to us through Chuck's phone. We probably wouldn't have made it in time. We may've got off on the wrong foot, due to what happened in Burbank at the Buy More. You more than made up for it in my eyes, by saving my daughter and Chuck. For that I want to thank you."

David shook Casey's hand before walking over to check on Hailey and Chuck. Jackson put his hand on Casey's shoulder.

Jackson: "You can't let it eat you up son, I've known that man for thirty years. If he can forgive you, there's no reason why I can't. We've worn the uniforms and sworn ourselves to the protection of our country. Now let's round up our guests and get them some help."

Stepping out of the room, David carried Hailey in his arms with Chuck was next to him, everyone relieved to see both of them are alive. Webb stood to the side waiting for them.

Webb: "I've got a chopper waiting to fly us to Bethesda, how is she?"

David: "Heavily sedated and almost raped, Agent Casey helped out by destroying the glass and held his superiors at gun point to enable Chuck to save her. This is one hell of a mess."

Webb: "Yeah it will be, the clean up's going to be extensive."

The rest of the group all looked to one another, they knew it could've ended a lot worse.


	26. Chapter 26

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 26: JUDGEMENT DAY

NSA HEADQUARTERS / FORT MEADE, MD

It's been a chaotic 24 hours for all involved and it's only the beginning. Everything looked like things were going back to normal in the eyes of the NSA Director General Diane Beckman and CIA Director Langston Graham, they had their precious Intersect back under their control thanks to their top agents John Casey and Sarah Walker. The last few days had been extremely tiresome given the behavior of one Charles Bartowski, his breach of protocol and refusal of direct orders to follow his handlers caused quite a ruckus among the group. Agent Walker was assigned to be his girlfriend, using a cover relationship to explain her place in his life. That had been reduced to shreds, courtesy of an unknown force.

Most of all, it was Bartowski meeting some outside influences that really caused the whole problem in their eyes. They helped feed his rebelliousness and uncovered a secret that was known only to themselves, because a nosy investigator couldn't leave well enough alone. The biggest slap was their agents were reduced to looking like amateurs by an unknown group. They found out too late that Bartowski had married someone they only knew was an American service member, and the daughter to one of their problems. They were determined to make a point to Bartowski, the NSA and the CIA always get what they want!

Not only did they succeed in capturing him, they also detained his wife as leverage and would have no problems to use her to gain control of him. Their plan was to force Chuck to submit himself back under their control or suffer the severe consequences for the actions he's already committed. It was Sarah Walker's plan to have Bryce Larkin, the man who was Bartowski's arch nemesis that ruined his life at Stanford to be the one that would seduce and rape a very heavily sedated Hailey Bartowski. They figured it would cause him so much pain and anguish, that it would break him because of who was going to have his way with the love of Chuck's life again. After that, he would be forced to take an Intersect update with a program in there to erase the last month of his life. To the point where it all began, and he wouldn't have any recollection of what's happened since gaining the Intersect. He wouldn't know his wife or new friends, what they didn't know was Chuck had met his wife earlier in the year and formed a close bond.

Unfortunately, their plans were destroyed when Agent Casey had showed up and turned the tables on them. First he saved the asset then followed that up by helping to rescue the wife of said asset, if that wasn't bad enough there were explosions surrounding the building as some unknown force had invaded the building. Face to face with the group before them, three men revealed themselves. Not only was it the CIA Deputy Director and the girl's father, but the biggest shock was seeing the look of disgust on the face of 'POTUS' himself! At this moment they knew it was truly over, more than likely seeing their careers flushed down the drain.

Beckman and Graham were escorted into a conference room still in handcuffs. They faced the proverbial firing squad as POTUS Albert Jackson was seated at the head of the table with the Secretary of Defense Christopher Dean and Director of National Intelligence Robert Murray.

Jackson: "In my 35 plus years of service to this great country, I've never seen anybody bring as much shame and disgrace to any office in this government than what you two have with your actions this past week!"

Beckman: "Sir, we were trying to regain possession of our most valuable government asset..."

Jackson: "Mr. Bartowski's an American citizen! He was never a threat to this country, nor did he have any ties to any terrorist organizations!"

Graham: "With respect sir, we had no idea on who Mr. Bartowski was when Agent Larkin sent him the Intersect database."

Jackson: "That's where you screwed up! A complete background check would tell you that Mr. Bartowski was only a college roommate of Agent Larkin, he had zero contact with him since 2002 after he was unfairly expelled from Stanford. Instead, you both took it upon yourselves to send two agents to take Bartowski into custody knowing full well you have absolutely zero operating authority on U.S. soil!"

Beckman: "You don't understand sir, Bartowski was in possession of our nation's secrets! He was a national security threat!"

Murray: "You're wrong General, that young man was a victim in Larkin's actions. You should've notified the FBI once you traced the location instead of sending your people."

Graham: "We didn't want this getting out for a reason, the media would be alerted to such action of our agents apprehending Bartowski."

Jackson: "Another words you were more worried about your pride and image, among your peers of this happening on your watch. Instead of following the proper protocol."

Dean: "We've also seen the actions your agents had taken in the handling of not just Mr. Bartowski, but the assault of a member of our military!"

Beckman: "She was interfering with a goverment operation that concerns national security."

Jackson: "You're sadly mistaken General! That lady comes from a rich Naval tradition, her family's among the most honorable people I've ever known in my whole life. The biggest mistake you made was planning on having her being raped, just to break her husband to bend to your will! You've greatly dishonored not just this country, but the uniform you wear!"

Graham: "That's not true sir! She's responsible for Bartowski disobeying our orders and breaking protocol."

Dean: "Breaking protocol? You both ordered those two to be detained multiple times and thrown into an underground bunker, we also have a copy of you both issuing a termination order on Mr. Bartowski himself! You were going to have an innocent American citizen killed to tie up your loose ends once your new Beta Intersect became operational, you took his life from him and forced him to be your skin-covered slave!"

Jackson: "We've looked over the evidence that's been gathered since the beginning of your unsanctioned operation, there's been so many federal laws broken and violated so many of Mr. Bartowski's rights under the Constitution this country's bound to follow. You also had one of your agents attempt to rape a member of our armed forces, just for your means to bend Mr. Bartowski to your will. That's completely unacceptable! The crimes you both have committed can't go unpunished, that's why it's this panel's decision that the both of you are terminated from your posts effective immediately! You will be serving life sentences, and be confined to Leavenworth and Miramir respectfully with zero chance of parole. This meeting's adjourned. Now get these people out of my sight!"

Two armed security escorts grab the two disgraced former NSA and CIA Directors by their upper arms hauling them to their feet. In another section of the building to a conference room, Bryce Larkin and Sarah Walker were escorted in as they noticed Casey was seated there as well with the exception of being secured that immediately grabbed her attention. She was about to ask him why was he not secured or arrested like her and Bryce were, the doors opened and she didn't like the company that walked into the room. David Smith entered the room with a shorter man carrying a laptop computer, after setting it up and connecting to showcase the inside of Casey's apartment. The image on the screen showed the monitoring system used for their surveillance of Casa Bartowski and the entire complex.

David nodded his head and the person pushed a couple of buttons to activate the system and proceeded to playback every recording that was attained during the month it was operational, the volume on the laptop was loud enough for the three agents in the room to hear clearly what had been said. Taking a look around to gauge everyone's reaction, he turned back to his aide and nodded his head as the surveillance was disabled once again. Sarah was quick to anger, this man was the person behind their monitoring issues of the entire Echo Park complex including inside Casa Bartowski. Casey wanted to say something about it instead chose to remain silent remembering who he was dealing with.

Sarah: "Who do you think you are! You're tampering with government equipment! When we get free, I'm going to have you detained for threatening national security and holding federal agents hostage!"

David: "Lock it up Agent Walker! Your actions have already landed you in more than enough hot water! For not only assaulting my daughter, but what you planned on doing to Chuck Bartowski as well! I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Casey and Bryce were both shocked that Sarah had been dressed down, much like a Drill Instructor screaming at a Private that screwed up something. Bryce wasn't going to stand for any of this, and figured to get some questions answered to gather intel for his contacts.

Bryce: "I don't know who you think you are, but you're making an awfully big mistake here! You're interfering with a government operation, that's compromising national security! Like Agent Walker already said, you're holding three Federal Agents hostage."

David: "I suggest Agent Larkin you stand down. You're lucky to still be alive! Considering you've just mysteriously returned from the dead after the actions you committed earlier on my daughter! Death would've been too quick and painless for you, next time you won't be so lucky."

Bryce: "We're agents with the CIA, which gives us the right to do what we please. Our boss will chew you up and spit you out when he gets here!"

David: "Stand down and lock it up right damn now Agent Larkin! Do you honestly think I'm going to stand here, and listen to both of you spooks mouthing off? You think you're above the law, simply because you work for the CIA? News flash, you're wrong on both accounts! You want to get your boss involved? Be my guest, as a matter of fact why don't I have our bosses join us. I promise you that it's going to be a very unhappy meeting."

The door opens as CIA Deputy Director Clayton Webb and Secretary of State Terry Boone enter the room, both men looking none too pleased as they took their seats.

David: "Now because you two agents tried to throw your federal weight around, obviously introductions were not made. As far as who I am, I'm Vice-Admiral David Smith and the details of my job and my position are classified way above your pay grades much less your current security levels. Now we know and understand that you're following orders from your direct supervisors of your respective agencies, as you just noticed the surveillance activity that was being used had been terminated."

Casey: "Sir, with all due respect. Bartowski's a valuable government intelligent asset. Agent Walker and myself were responsible for his protection and well-being."

David: "That's understandable Major. However, there's a major fault in that logic. Point number one, that apartment's occupied by American civilians who have never been under any suspect of terrorist activities. The problem with what you're doing, was directly violating their constitutional rights. Point number two, NSA and CIA both have zero operational authority on U.S. soil that you all should've known from the beginning as it's stated in Executive Order #12333. Now who would like to answer us this question, how does a civilian making $11.50/hr working at an electronics store manage to get a government secured database sent to him?"

Casey: "The initial report was Larkin was a rogue CIA Agent, he downloaded what we called 'The Intersect' on to an electronic device before destroying the main computer server that hosted the database on its system. I shot him as he tried escaping, but he managed to send it off through an email attachment to Bartowski, I was tasked by Graham and Beckman both to track him down since he was in possession of the database that all of our nation's secrets."

Boone: "Were you given the same set of orders Agent Walker?"

Sarah: "Yes sir, I was ordered to make contact with the asset and find out about his connections with Agent Larkin by using any means necessary. Bryce was my partner and his actions had betrayed not just me personally, but the company I work for and the country I proudly served."

Webb: "What happened when you first met Mr. Bartowski?"

Sarah: "I walked up to him at the Nerd Herd kiosk with a supposedly broken phone, quick fix for him because the screw on the back cover likes to work itself loose. He repaired it before having to assist another customer."

Boone: "What did you do after you left him at the Buy More?"

Sarah: "I entered the asset's home and found his computer, thinking that if we could access his hard drive we could reclaim the database. I was about to leave with the computer, at that point he and his friend Morgan Grimes both entered the apartment."

David: "Okay another 4th Amendment violation along with a charge for B & E, what happened next?"

Sarah: "I ended up knocking both of them off their feet with a couple of quick moves and was about to leave with the computer, but the shelf I placed it on buckled from the weight of it causing the computer to be destroyed beyond repair. The hard drive was unrecoverable."

Webb: "Agent Casey, you already said you were ordered to track down Bartowski. What other instructions were you given?"

Casey: "After tracking down Bartowski for his possible connection with Larkin, orders also included taking him into custody and bring him back here to NSA Headquarters."

Boone: "Knowing full well that the NSA has zero jursidiction on American soil, you were given a direct order by your superiors to recover both the database and Mr. Bartowski correct?"

Casey: "That's affirmative sir."

David: "What else was there? Once you both established that Chuck was innocent and reported that information to your bosses, what did they want you to do?"

Sarah: "They wanted him secured into an underground bunker, he'd end up spending the rest of his life there without any contact from his friends or his sister. They thought he'd be a threat to national security, because the database was uploaded into his brain. He was the first ever 'Human Intersect'."

Boone: "Have they even tried or considered removing the database from his head?"

Casey: "They were going to originally with a Dr. Jonas Zarnow, but it turned out Zarnow was a traitor. He'd been selling secrets to the North Korea for years."

Webb: "Because of that one incident, they abandoned anymore chances of removing it from him? As it's been made aware to both of you, there's plans on building a Beta Intersect to replace the one inside Bartowski's head. Did Graham and Beckman say would happen as a result of that?"

Casey: "Bartowski would either be bunkerized or terminated, he'd be deemed a security risk or threat. Although, he'd be considered obsolete after the Beta became operational. They would consider it a small price to pay for the protection of the greater good."

David: "Greater good for who? Certainly not for Chuck! He'd be considered by your bosses as 'collateral damage' for something he had absolutely nothing to do with, all because of the selfish actions of you Agent Larkin!"

Bryce had to look down at the table with a sorrowful expression on his face, he knew that he shouldn't have listened to Graham's plans in the first place to make the project a reality. Sarah spoke up to change the conversaton.

Sarah: "Which is why it's our job to protect him, he's our country's most valuable asset! That's why he can't go gallavating off on his own for the next month doing computer work in San Diego without having us protecting him, much less with those people he's been associating himself with especially that girl who had the nerve to marry him!"

David: "Watch that tone Agent Walker! Let me point out something to you, and you best pay attention. Chuck was doing fine, considering the circumstances he was under before Larkin here screwed him over twice. Yes, you and Casey both were assigned to protect him. Problem with that, you both would've turned on him and terminated him if the order came faster than a snap of the finger."

Sarah: "That's not true! I've had his best interests at heart, I was the only reason why he hadn't been placed in the bunker yet. He trusts me!"

David: "He trusts you? Agent Walker he was only trusting you for his protection! You'd been screwing with his head for so long, by sending him mixed signals keeping him off balanced! Being a honey trap isn't the honorable way of gaining his cooperation. Neither was assaulting both him and his girlfriend at the time, who's now his wife! We also know that after you had captured them, what you had planned on doing to the two of them! What I want to know is who the hell do you think you are!"

Sarah: "Chuck Bartowski's our nation's most valuable asset we have! I was assigned to be his cover girlfriend. That makes him not only my responsibility, but my property as well! To be off gallavanting around by himself was a breach of protocol, and directly disobeying our orders as his handlers to safeguard and monitor him for his personal safety! He should've never been allowed to go to San Diego! Most importantly, he destroyed our cover relationship that was successfully established in Los Angeles and Burbank by hooking up with that damn skank! The only way to get him back under control, was to break his will that would force him to submit himself back to following our orders!"

Terry Boone exploded with rage before David could say a word, obviously you don't mess with anybody in his extended family and that included the entire Smith family.

Boone: "Let me stop you right there Walker! You felt like he was your own personal property because of some damn job? He's an American citizen and a human being, not some damn political play toy for you or your bosses to enjoy controlling! He destroyed your cover because he was tired of being manipulated and ended up finding someone to love him for who the man was, not because of some bullshit orders that wanted him to be attached to an unemotional robot! You were going to have this sick bastard next to you rape that young man's wife! Just to satisfy your rule over him by making him bend to your wicked ways, and force him back under forced solitude? You seem to forget that Hailey Bartowski isn't just an American servicewoman, she's also this man's daughter and my god-daughter on top of that! You and this Agent Larkin here can kiss your careers good bye! There's too many charges for you to even fight! Your careers are over with! You both are sentenced to serving the rest of your lives in a dark hole!"

Larkin: "You can't do that! Webb, please tell this guy he can't do that to us!"

Webb: "That man can decide whatever he wants. He's not only the Secretary of State, but close personal friends with both Admiral Smith here and POTUS. He also has my support on these actions as well, you've disgraced the CIA long enough Larkin and as for you Walker. You're a great agent up to this point, with a spotless record before this assignment. You just thrown it all away for what? Jealousy at not keeping another man's attention, and your pride definitely impaired your judgement."

Boone looked up at the security guards and pointed to them.

Boone: "Gentlemen, please escort those two pitiful excuses for human beings out of my sight before they make me sicker than their actions already have made me!"

Sarah and Bryce were both horrified that their promising careers were over, their life was indeed going to hell in a handbasket. Casey looked down at the table in shame before they turned his attention to him.

Boone: "Anything you would like to add Agent Casey before we decide your fate?"

Casey very slowly backed away from the table with his chair and slowly stood up at attention in a military brace while the remaining security watched him carefully, David waved them off knowing that he wanted to hear Casey's statements.

Casey: "Mr. Secretary, I would like to apologize for my actions and behavior throughout the entire month during my assignment on 'Operation: Bartowski' in which I was following the orders bestowed upon me by my direct superiors regardless of the nature of them. After bringing Chuck and Hailey Bartowski here, I had no idea of what their plans were until I saw Agent Larkin appear seconds after Agent Walker had suggested those same ideas that you've heard. After being dismissed from the room, I decided that I wasn't going to follow anymore orders from them. It went against everything I've dedicated my life of service to this great country. I double checked their vitals and looked closely at the drugs being pumped into them for the heavy sedation, I used the opprotunity to use Chuck's phone to search his contacts for Admiral Smith and Mr. Casino since I knew both had been a huge help to that young man. I sent them both detailed texts so they would not only have a sitrep, but able to trace the source of Chuck's phone to this location enabling them to rescue the two of them because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it by myself."

Webb: "What happened next Agent Casey?"

Casey: "The next day when I walked into the room where they planned on having everything happen, Walker had Chuck detained with a chin lock to hold him in place while Larkin was already in the other room seducing and beginning his attempted rape of Mrs. Bartowski, I removed my weapon and fired it at the glass window the moment your forces arrived with its attack. Chuck took advantage and freed himself, after that I kept Walker and our bosses detained by gunpoint while he went to save his wife. That's where you all arrived on scene and I expressed my deepest sorrows to you sir, I knelt down next to Chuck to help him attend to his wife and gave him my suit jacket to help cover his wife's exposed body at the hands of Larkin after freeing her from the chains. Sir, I stand by what I said to you and POTUS about everything. My actions were a disgrace to the uniform and to our great country."

Boone: "Thank you very much Agent Casey. Before meeting with any of you today, we had discussed the evidence and viewed everything. We wanted to get the statements of all that's needed and questions that we had to find the answers before we could reach any conclusion of every ruling, the very fact that you disobeyed orders you knew in the end were unlawful and saved the lives of two American citizens saved you a lifetime of imprisonment that's being shared by your two associates. You've also showed the remorse of all the actions taken unlike they have and showed your true colors of knowing the difference, when it mattered the most between right and wrong when you rendered aide to both Chuck and Hailey. That's your redeeming quality which allows me to make the following ruling to your sentence. Major John Casey, USMC and NSA Agent. This panel's decision is you're relieved of duty from the NSA. You're also given an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, and you'll also serve 30 days brig confinement in San Diego. Do you understand your sentence Mr. Casey?"

Casey: "Yes sir, I understand fully Mr. Secretary."

Webb: "Security please relief Mr. Casey of his service weapon and take him to the waiting area for us to accompany him to his next destination."

John Casey looked at the three men and nodded his consent before being lead away as the three men all nodded to each other before following everyone else out of the room before they make a special trip to Bethesda.

PRISON TRANSPORT PLANE / ENROUTE TO FORT LEAVENWORTH

All four prisoners were being flown to their respective prisons, Larkin and Graham both would be spending their lives in Fort Leavenworth while Beckman and Walker would both be in Miramir. None of them could believe the outcome of what transpired, they had a very well conceived plan to have the Intersect under their thumb for the rest of his life while hanging on to his wife as a bargaining chip that would remain useful for the time being.

Graham: "Well that plan didn't work out as planned, anybody else have any bright ideas since your's definitely didn't go as expected Sarah."

Bryce: "Actually I have a way to get us out of here, and get our revenge on all of those people including those traitors Casey and Chuck."

Bryce pushed a button on his watch that caught the eyes of everyone else as he had that ever present smirk on his face.

SCOTTRADE CENTER /ST. LOUIS, MO

A mysterious figure was watching the hard-hitting action unfold before him, watching from his seat in the luxury box above the hockey rink. The local hockey team the Blues were battling the Washington Capitals in a tough matchup when his phone beeped an alert, looking down and revealing the tracker that he gave to Bryce Larkin was activated. He quickly called his contact to find out what was going on and received his answer of what happened in D.C. to Larkin and company, calculating the time and distance he could get a group of his men together and meet up with the plane when it landed. Pocketing the phone, he quickly left his place before leaving for the world outside. Things were beginning to get interesting he thought to himself darkly, Larkin and friends would definitely be welcomed by their friends.


	27. Chapter 27

CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 27: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

WALTER REED NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER / BETHESDA, MD

Chuck Bartowski was once again seen at his usual spot, sitting in a plastic chair next to the hospital bed that occupied his wife. His hair had grown back to it's previous state as the curls returned again to start making animal shapes again, he hadn't shaved and already felt the patches of hair on his face knowing that he would be sporting a beard soon that could rival Morgan's. He just didn't care at this moment about how he looked, nothing's as important to him than to see his wife back to normal and healthy. He continued sitting there holding her hand while watching the monitors as she laid there, they had her heavily drugged up and there's no telling what else was done to her.

He's certainly glad Casey showed up when he did, he shut his eyes trying not to think of what would've happened to her while he was held down by Sarah and Bryce was really starting to enjoy his task at hand. Out numbered 3-to-1 didn't give him many options, he felt the angry beast inside wanting to get out for what they were doing to his wife. He knew that it would've been a temporarily solution, because he wasn't trained and eventually the agents would put him on his back in no time. At least he felt somewhat better, getting the chance to pound in Bryce's face with some well-placed punches. Bryce might've kicked him off, but his reprieve didn't last long enough to get out of dodge when David came through the door and began to squeeze the life out of him. They told him what David was really capable of, he got a first hand look at what happens if you mess with his family. Most importantly what they planned to do to his daughter.

Chuck was brought out of his musings when David entered the room and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking up to see the concern in his eyes before speaking in that baritone voice.

David: "There's been no changes, don't worry Chuck. These are top notch doctors, she's in good hands with them."

Chuck: "I know that, but deep down inside I still can't help feeling guilty this happened to her. All because she chose to love me, those monsters viewed her as collateral damage to get their precious Intersect back under control. If I never went to the beach that night to feel sorry for myself and broke their protocols, she wouldn't be laying in this bed perhaps fighting for her life and I'd still be stuck under their thumbs working at the Buy More."

David: "Maybe so Chuck, but do you honestly believe that? Things happen for a reason that's beyond our control, had you never been there think of it this way. Stanford wouldn't have been investigated, the black mark would've remained on your record, you never would've met most of us, and you wouldn't have become my son-in-law because you two wouldn't have reunited."

Chuck looked wide-eyed up to David, he tried to plead his case until David waved him off.

David: "Yes, we all know about the marriage. Spider showed us the video of what happened in Vegas when you two were running from the NSA team. It's just blind luck you both fled into a wedding chapel to avoid them, apparently to the people inside they thought the words you spoken to each other was your declaration of vows to marry. It's not like you both were drunk and did it on a spur of the moment, we've watched the interaction between the two of you and the feelings you both share for one another."

Chuck: "We've already discussed that we were planning on doing this in the future at some point, whenever the time was able to allow us to take this huge step."

David: "We're honored to have you as a true member of our family Chuck, you make Hailey happy and always treated her the way I've always wanted to see someone treat my little girl."

Chuck: "Thank you sir, that means a lot to us. There's one more thing I want to talk to you about concerning how everything went down."

David: "What would that be son?"

Chuck: "I know that my present physical condition's nothing to be proud of, heck just running from one end of the store to the other takes my breath away. It also brought me to the realization that I'm basically helpless and unable to defend Hailey, if we found ourselves in a situation where I couldn't help protect her despite knowing she already has training from you. I've always been a non-violent person and couldn't hurt anybody because of my moral compass. The feeling of being unable to help or defend myself, much less her will always be seen as a weakness by others. I'm not asking to be on your level or maybe those of the others, but I would like to know enough to where I can feel confident knowing I can protect myself and our family from danger."

David: "Let's talk about this at another time Chuck. I know you're wanting to do this for not just yourself, but for Hailey's benefit too. I will discuss this with the others, figure out what to do and proceed from there. You just take care of my little girl, the guys are outside and they'll keep watch or relieve you to get something to eat or freshen up."

Chuck nodded his answer as his eyes turned back to his wife. He pushed one of her curls away from her eyes and kissed her hand while cradling it. Inside he's beating himself up over what happened, but David's right when pointing out the differences in his life. It wouldn't have changed for the better if he remained at the mercy of his handlers and the former Directors.

Chuck: "Before you go, I just wanted to know one thing our of curiousity. Deputy Director Webb is the one you call Spider right? Why is that?"

David: "One because it used to annoy the living hell out of him back in the day, now he just accepted it because if you think about it spiders like to weave webs and spooks like to weave lies. So basically it's a perfect fit for him. Spider...Webb, makes sense now Chuck?"

Chuck: "Certainly does when you explain it that way, I guess Casino was right that you guys have an extremely dark and crude sense of humor."

David: "Let me give you a warning Chuck, you haven't seen anything yet to the lengths these guys would go. You're only scratching the surface, the real troublemakers are the ones that haven't graced us with an appearance. If you don't believe me, ask Casino about the story of 'Cyrix and The Shovel' and he would be glad to share it with you."

David left the room as Chuck sat there thinking to himself, just what did he mean by that?

SHERMAN AIRFIELD / FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS

Once the Boeing-727 landed at Sherman Airfield, all four passengers looked grim at the federal supermax prison that would be the new home for Graham and Larkin. Some of the biggest criminals in the military along with treasonous scumbags were held here, knowing the potential dangers of running into enemies they helped put here wasn't reassuring to the two men. A group of men stormed on to the plane armed with assault rifles pointed at the four prisoners while the agents were getting Graham and Larkin ready for removal when suddenly, two of the men shot the agents in the back of the head! What happened next was a shock to the women as all four were released from their shackles to being free, they heard two more gun shots assuming that the pilots were just eliminated. The four dead bodies were covered and bagged before removal into a waiting vehicle, the engines started up and began to taxi away gaining speed and momentum when the federal agents on the ground realized what's going on.

Once they were airborne again, the others looked at Bryce who had his smug grin on his face before one of the men came up to him and smacked it off his face with a right hook. Bryce looked back up in shock that this man hit him.

Bryce: "What the hell was that for man?"

The man took off his mask revealing his face as he looked coldly at Larkin, the scar on the side of his face was an obvious slice from a knife blade. Everyone knew who this man was, Tommy Delgardo!

Delgardo: "Maybe because I hate that grin on your ugly face. Director Graham, we came as soon as we're able to lend assistance. My men were already waiting for this flight to land thanks to our sources inside the system, Command has been notified and we're heading to the rendezvous point that was decided."

Graham: "That's good to know Tommy, we've seem to come upon a most troubling discovery as far as our plans go. There's a brand new threat to our cause and they have our only current operating Intersect in their possession, Agent Walker here has detailed knowledge on this matter from being assigned as one of the protectors. General Beckman and myself had been keeping the project secret from the higher-ups for our purposes, until those troublemakers showed up."

Delgardo: "Well in that case, we shouldn't keep our bosses waiting. Fulcrum welcomes you."


End file.
